Witness Protection
by AKAdenny
Summary: A Sarah and Chuck mystery and romance. If you've not read any of this story...give it a try. I think you'll like it. I've tried to create something a little different. Anyway, thanks to all who've gave it a shot.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: There have been some real good AU stories posted. I thought I would go outside the circle of trust a little further than normal and see how its received.

Hope you like it.

Witness Protection

"How's your food?" Steve asked as he stared at the blonde beauty across from him.

"Very good. I've never been here before, but it's as good as you said," Sarah said smiling at her date. She returned his smile warmly. This was her third date with Steve and she liked him. She had every intention of adhering to the three date rule tonight.

"So, was you're week as bad as you thought it was going to be?" he asked her.

"Yeah, nothing but paperwork. I'm more of a "hands on" type of girl."

"Really," he said his eyes teasing her with innuendo.

"Really," she replied, her voice hinting at the promise of tonight.

"What do you want to do after we eat? I'm game for anything. You name it and we'll do it," he said as he laid his silverware down and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

Sarah eyed him seductively before speaking. "Why don't we go to your place and watch TV or something," she said and smiled broadly.

"Check," he yelled to the waiter and they shared a laugh.

She liked his slightly nerdy tendencies and in fact it surprised her that she went out with him in the first place. He was not the kind of guy that she had ever looked at twice. He was tall and had brown, slightly unruly hair and he could have used a wardrobe makeover. But there was something about him that she was drawn to, yet, she could not figure out exactly what it was. She had thought about it a little during the week between when he had nervously asked her out and their first date. She was even more surprised when she said yes to a second date. In her line of work, she had always made it a "one date" policy with civilians. But now, here she was on a third date and not only was she not thinking about how she was going to let him down easy, she was anticipating the night ahead of her.

They took a cab back to his apartment. They sat very close together and occasionally his hand would find itself on her knee. She smelled his aftershave and felt his masculine hand as it laid on her knee. She wanted to attacked him before they even made it half-way to his apartment and the thought went through her mind that it must have been a long time since she had been with a man judging by her level of excitement. She almost started to go down that mental path but then his hand began to move up her leg and she looked into his eyes.

They stumbled into his downtown apartment face to face as their hands roamed over every inch of the other's body. In the brief moments when she had a coherent thought, she recognized and was surprised at the level of her excitement and need.

Before they made it to his bedroom in the back of his apartment, they had removed all of the other's clothing except for his boxers and her panties and bra.

They kissed passionately as they stood beside the bed, their tongues furiously making introductions.

Just after he reached up to unclasp her bra, she pushed him hard causing him to fall back onto the bed. She was about to discard her bra that still hung loosely over her breasts when she looked straight ahead at a poster hanging in his bedroom.

She took a deep breath and the area between her eyebrows wrinkled as she studied the poster. Her eyes left it and looked at the man lying on the bed clearly anticipating the night of his dreams.

She took a step backwards as her mind began to work overtime trying to understand why the poster seemed familiar to her and told her that what she was about to do was wrong.

"Ah, Steve, could you get me a glass of water? I'm suddenly thirsty." It was a lame excuse and she knew it.

"You're thirsty now?"

She could barely tear her eyes away from the poster but she did and managed a weak smile as well. "Please." She used her best imploring eyes that she had used countless times on the job. She knew he would have no choice at that point.

When he got up and left the room, she hurried over to the poster and studied it closely. She had no memory of ever seeing it before but…there was something about it that was both disturbing and exhilarating at the same time.

By the time Steve had filled a glass with water and hurried back to his bedroom, Sarah was standing in front of the poster studying it as thought it were an ancient artifact that held the secrets of history.

Steve's eyes grew large and round when he saw her. She realized then she was holding her bra in her hand. In her line of work it was not unthinkable to allow men and women, for that matter, to see her unclothed so she didn't really care about Steve.

He hurried over to her with the water and with only a small break in his connection with her eyes to look at the site below her shoulders, he spoke in a breathless voice.

"Here's your water."

She took it but did not drink. "Where did you get this poster?" she asked nonchalantly as though what they had been doing and the question she was asking now was a normal flow of events.

"What, uh, I don't know. I've had it for years. I think it's kind of neat."

Sarah looked at him but with her professional guise. Her instincts told her something was not what it seemed, or better yet, something needed an explanation. She turned back to the poster and looked at it in great length. When she turned back to face Steve she saw him rapidly raise his eyes from her chest to her eyes.

With exasperation showing in her movement, she put the bra back on and watched the disappointment reveal itself in his eyes. He knew what that meant. He was just clueless as to why.

"Do you know where you bought it?"

"For God's sake, Sarah. What's with the questions about the Tron poster. I've had it since I was a kid. My parents probably bought it for me. I thought we were going to…you know," he finished by looking at the bed.

Sarah ignored him and looked back to the poster. Suddenly, she had the briefest of flashes and tore the poster off the wall.

"Hey be careful with that, I don't want you to-"

Sarah pulled it from the wall and turned it over. Seeing the cardboard backing on it, she bulled her way past Steve and his weak protest to open up the frame that held the poster. When she was done, she stared at the back of the item with a puzzled expression.

"Are you happy now," he said anger slipping into his voice for the first time most likely because he had come to realize that the night would not go as he had planned.

Sarah looked up from the poster but not at Steve as she thought about why this particular poster had some meaning to her. Why had she thought that there would be…something on the back? She had no memory of ever seeing it before, but she knew in her line of work that not having a memory didn't necessarily mean she had never seen it before.

"Tell me about Tron?" she said and it was not a request.

"Look, as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I think you should leave," he said as he flashed on a movie with Glen Close in it.

Sarah saw the fear in his eyes and tried to tone it down a notch. "Look, Steve, I'm sorry for the theatrics but I need to know about Tron, what is it?"

"Will you stay if I tell you?"

Sarah took a menacing step towards him. For the first time since she met him, she didn't really like what she saw.

"No." She continued to stare into his eyes.

He finally gave in. "Tron is a movie back in the day. It was about software programs being alive, living a real life inside the computer."

Sarah's brow furrowed deeper. "A movie about computer software?"

"It's about a lot more than that. It's about-"

"Nevermind," she said as she walked back to pick up her clothes. She got dressed as the perplexed man watched her. When she was completely attired, she turned to face the man.

"You're a nice guy. I'm sorry that this happened. But I've just realized that something is wrong in my life. Something does not add up. I've noticed for some time now but I've ignored the signs." She started to say more but then closed her mouth. "I'm sorry," she said and left closing the door behind her. Her last glimpse of the man had him open mouthed but with nothing to say.

She hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to her apartment on the other side of the city. The drive seemed to take no more than thirty seconds, her mind was racing with possibilities. She knew one thing, she couldn't trust anyone, not even her employer.

She walked into her apartment acting as casually as she knew how. She hoped that she was wrong but deep down she knew what she was going to find once she began a thorough search of the place. It was the only thing that made sense.

She checked her phone and was happy to find nothing. She proceeded to check out every inch of her apartment and began to feel better as each room came up clean.

_I must be losing my mind_, she thought. _Suspecting the CIA of bugging my own apartment_. But the thought was no more complete in her mind when she felt a sickening in her heart. She went to her purse and began to rifle threw it. She pulled out her CIA Identification and looked at it. She walked back to her bedroom and picked up her mission bag and pulled out the RF detector she had stored away. Almost reluctantly, she turned it on and pointed it at her card. Immediately the green light came on and she closed her eyes as the realization of her discovery weighed down on her like a mountain.

She checked the frequency band on her government issued device and saw that it could be sending a viable signal for at least a mile. _Impossible to trace_, she thought.

She put the ID back in her purse and went to the bathroom and took off her clothes for the second time tonight. Once the water was regulated, she stepped into the shower and began to think as she absent mindedly washed herself.

Sarah, just go with your instinct, she tells herself. So, standing under the hot water and feeling the comfort of the powerful spray hit her body, she lets her mind go free.

She hoped to come up with a name of a person or maybe even a city where she could go to investigate further. But she came up with no such names. But as she stood there feeling dejected, she suddenly knew that it was about a guy. She didn't know his name or what his relationship to her might be, but she had at least that to go on.

That is, if her instincts were right.

She tried again for anything but soon realized that her moment of clarity was over for this night. She stayed under the water though wondering about this guy, if he was real, what was his name? What did he mean to her? Hell, he could be an enemy as much as a friend. There was just no way of knowing.

_Unless_, she thought.

A/N: I would appreciate knowing what you think. Feel free to let me know in a review about ideas you had while reading the story. Or, you can PM if you're more comfortable with that.

I hope to hear from you.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: In response to the reviewers who asked for a quick update- I present chapter 2.

Witness Protection

Chapter Two

On the drive from the city out to Langley, Sarah rehashed the events of the weekend. Seeing the Tron poster at Steve's apartment was just the final straw, she had been having reoccurring dreams that had been bothering her. Dreams of a guy that looked like Steve but she knew it wasn't. The dream was always the same. _She's standing at a remote airfield. The wind's blowing her hair across her eyes as tears stream down her cheeks causing strands of hair to stick to her face. She's holding both of his hands as she watches his tears fall as well. As this mystery guy prepares to board a military jet, he kisses her and she doesn't want him to stop. They cling desperately to one another before he pulls away, the reluctance in his eyes was so tangible, she could feel it in her heart. He says before turning to the plane. "Will I ever see you again?"_ And then she says through the tears, _"Not if we've done our job."_ She always wakes up then feeling as though she had called out a name but she can't remember what name she had just screamed, only the nebulous echo lost between frantic heartbeat.

She would not have thought so much about it, putting it off to too many romance novels, but now, with everything else she knows, she's come to believe that her dream is not just a dream but something that actually happened. Who is he, how long has it been, where is he and does he know about her? She has too many questions that have no answers.

And somehow the CIA is involved, even though nothing about them masterminding this elaborate charade makes sense. She knows it's possible to tamper with memory. But she has never heard of them doing it to one of their own without their consent.

She feels as though she is incomplete and it isn't just the mystery man. She feels as though there is a huge piece of her missing and it feels like an important piece.

On top of that, she missed having Kelly to talk to. But Kelly was an analyst on a long term deep-cover assignment providing Intel for another agent. There was no way to contact her without jeopardizing her mission and possibly even her life. But that in itself was an unexplainable detail. Kelly was her analyst. Why would she have been assigned to someone else? Unless Sarah was on a long term assignment that didn't require an analyst, which was never the case with her…until recently, Kelly would not have been assigned to someone else before Sarah had the chance to at least know about it.

Sarah parked her red Mustang convertible in her assigned spot, walking across the parking lot into entrance C. She walked up the wide row of concrete steps and went into CIA headquarters.

The pristine floors and walls of the building almost gave off the sterile feel of a hospital as she listened to her high heels tap against the multi-colored marble floor and echo against the walls. The walls were bright white and looked as though the painters had just put away their ladders.

She absent-mindedly went through the numerous security checkpoints without speaking to any of the personnel there, her ID badge speaking for her. She entered the center elevator in the row of five and asked the person standing by the console to press the second floor button. The elevator had four other people in it and she noticed that no one was paying attention to her or anyone else in the elevator. _Standard procedure for CIA personnel_, she thought. _You mind your own business or you might wind up in a shit storm. _

She walked down the main corridor then took the first hallway to the left until she came to her office on the left side. She stood in the hallway outside and looked in at the small office. Her eyes moved over to the name on the doorway outside. "S. Walker". As she looked at her name on her office door, she felt empty and was reminded of the hole in her life. She knew as sure as she knew her name that something was missing. She had spent the weekend documenting the irregularities that she had discovered since she returned from her last mission. Her memory is clear up to the point where she had just learned that her boyfriend at the time and just gone rogue. But that's when things get fuzzy. And it stays fuzzy until about two months ago.

Before, when she was seeing Bryce Larkin, she hadn't spent two weeks in this office in seven years. But now, she spends all of her time here. It left her feeling unsatisfied.

She walked inside and sat down behind her neatly organized desk. It had been almost two months now since she had been out in the field. And that was a creampuff assignment. She actually asked the director of agent affairs if she had performed unsatisfactory, she had been concerned about her lack of field time. She realized now that for some reason, they were keeping her here…to keep an eye on her.

Her last mission lasted a couple of months and was a surveillance job, but that was one of the irregularities. Her recall of the mission was spotty at best. When she first realized this, she went to her mission notes and pulled the file. It was definitely her handwriting. She remembered some details of the report but it was fuzzy, as though many years had passed and she had lost the details to time. There were other irregularities that she could not explain as well, leaving her very unsettled.

She regretted now going to the Director about her concerns with her memory. He had sent her to see the shrinks and they had convinced her at the time that it was probably just stress related and that she should take some time off to relax. But that could have done nothing but alert them that she was experiencing something out of the ordinary.

Although she refused the offer at the time, she had every intention of taking advantage of some vacation time now. But rest and relaxation was the last thing on her mind. She felt like a pawn in a chess game and she didn't like the feeling.

She picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number and waited for the recipient to pick up.

"Miss Davis, I would like to speak to the Director today if he's in." Sarah listened for an instant and then responded.

"10:30 is fine. I'll see him then." She hung up and looked at the pile of mission reports that she had been given to review for errors and sighed deeply. She really didn't care for this kind of work. But she took a deep breath and pulled the first from a large stack of folders and began to read.

At precisely 10:30, Sarah knocked on the door of Director Kemmett's office.

"Come in."

"Hello, Director, is this a good time?"

"Ah, Walker, yes come in, come in."

"Thank you for seeing me, Sir."

"Sit down. What's on you mind Agent Walker."

"I've been thinking about our last conversation, Sir, and I would like to change my mind about that time off."

She watched as the director's expression became guarded. "That's great. Where are you planning on going?"

"I don't know. I've thought about taking Steve with me to some private get away or I might just go somewhere on my own. I've not made up my mind yet."

"So you and this Steve are still seeing each other?"

"We had a date last Friday."

"That's great, Walker. I guess you two are hitting it off then?"

"I would say that last Friday was unforgettable for me and for Steve."

"I'm happy for you, Walker. You have to balance you life with your work. You've been told to do that in the past. I'm glad you're finally opening your horizons."

"I'm definitely doing that, Sir."

"Good, good."

"So, the time off is okay?"

"Absolutely, take a couple of weeks if you like."

"I was thinking ten days but if things go well with Steve and me, who knows, I might just stretch it into two weeks."

"Like I said, feel free to do it. You deserve it after all of your service. When do you want to start"

"I would like to start tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"You bet…have a good time and forget about this place for a while."

Sarah stood and smiled at the director. "Thank you, Sir," she said and turned and walked out of the huge office, closing the door behind her.

Had she been able to see the Director once she left, she would have seen him make a call.

"Sarah Walker was just in my office asking for some time off. How consistent is that with her new profile?" He listened for a moment. "Equivocal is one of those words I don't like, Doctor. Nevermind, I'm not taking any chances. I'll put an additional tail on her."

Sarah used the rest of her morning for planning. She made sure to appear as normal as she knew how. What perplexed her was that she wasn't really sure what normal was.

Her problem as she saw it. How do you uncover classified information from the CIA when they obviously don't want you to find out? She had an idea but to pull it off would take some serious cash and even a bigger set of ovaries. She knew she had to assume that she was under surveillance of some kind. So she acted accordingly.

At 12:15 p.m. she left her office, got in her car and drove back into the city to a little Chinese restaurant over on the Northeast side.

She found a parking spot and went inside. She found a seat over by the kitchen which was lucky for her because the place was busy. But it offered an unobstructed view of the front door. She would be able to spot an agent, no matter how they tried to disguise the fact. First of all, she was one of only a handful of non Chinese people in the establishment. Unless the agent who was following her was of Chinese descent, she would spot him in an instant.

When the waitress came to take her order, Sarah said, "Is Madam Le in?"

The waitress eyed her carefully, definitely assessing this situation.

"It's okay, she will be happy to see me. Tell her Sarah Walker is here."

The waitress left without another word and in about thirty seconds an older woman came out to take her order. "What would you like today?" she said very seriously.

"Just bring me your special." Sarah sat the menu down as she spoke.

The waitress tore off a copy of the bill and laid it on the table. Sarah waited until after she had left and then reached for the bill. Underneath it was key, an ordinary room key.

Taking her purse with her, she stood and made her way back through the kitchen, avoiding the glaring eyes of the workers scurrying around the kitchen. The open flames of the huge grills made her perspire just walking through. She ducked under the row of pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. She held her breath as the smell of newly killed animals was pungent. She finally began to climb the stairs in the very back of the restaurant. At the top of the stairs was an apartment building. She went to the room that had been reserved for her for over seven years now, used the key to unlock the door and stepped inside.

She hurried over to the closet and pulled out a duffle bag and carried it to the bed where she opened it up and pulled out seven large stacks of bills and a handful of driver's licenses and passports. She stuck the ID's inside her purse without looking at them. She quickly counted the money and stopped at one hundred and seventy thousand dollars. She threw the rest back into the bag. She knew that she was forfeiting the cash but she didn't have the room to take anymore with her, due to the size of her purse. She pulled out a 9 millimeter and looked at it. With reluctant hesitation, she put it back in the bag as well. She was operating outside of the CIA's sanction but she would not be firing a weapon at another agent. She quickly scribbled a note and left it with the bag and pulled out a stack of money and left it on the bed. She knew that it would be read as soon as she was out of the building.

She left the room and hurried back to her table in the restaurant. Hopefully, if she was being tailed, they had waited outside in their car and not chance coming in and being seen.

As she settled into her seat, her food was brought to her immediately. She ate about half of it and left without another word to anyone. She left cash on the table for the food but nothing else.

Driving back to Langley, she decided to keep the cash on her, she didn't want the CIA to have the opportunity to go through her car and find it.

She smoothed out her clothes after parking and walked back into the building.

She forced herself to breath easily and smile earnestly at the security personnel. There was a chance that they would ask to go through her things.

As she walked through the metal detector, it went off and she wondered if she had made a mistake carrying in the large amount of cash.

"Step over this way Agent?"

"Walker," she said and held up her ID badge.

"We're going to need to search your bags, Agent Walker," the guard said.

Sarah was at a loss as to how she would get out of this. But just as the guard came up to her, another employee stepped up to the detector. Sarah looked around and found something that just might work. It was the magnetic holder for the employee newsletter. Just as the employee stepped into the gap, she threw the small magnet across the floor into the opening. At the same time, she faked a sneeze so loud it was comical and told the guard how sorry she was as she began to wipe the front of his chest.

The guard stepped back in shock.

Just as the man stepped through the machine it too went off.

"For crying out loud, if we have to search everyone coming back from lunch, we're going to have a long line backed up," the security guard said still preoccupied with the front of his shirt.

"Yeah, look at the number of people coming up the stairs now," Sarah said. "Here, you want to look through here?" She held up her purse to the guard.

He looked at it and then to the people that were headed his way. "No, go on. I gotta call the calibration service."

Without another word, Sarah had her things packed up and was walking towards the elevators when the group of people began walking through the metal detectors with no problem. By that time, the guards had forgotten about Sarah.

That afternoon, she found what had set off the metal detector. It was a tracking device. Sarah theorized that the calibration of the metal detectors were set on the low end of the spectrum and with her other bug in her ID card it was too much and set off this particular detector. She made a mental note to go through the detector she had used when she left the building.

For the first time in her career, she did not do her best while performing CIA work. In fact, she pretended to be reading the files that sat at her desk. What she was really doing was mapping out her strategy for going off the grid. She guessed that if she could get out of the city for more than four hours without the CIA knowing she had ran, she had a chance to actually break free of the net they had around her.

She had come to realize that it was there. She couldn't see it but her instincts screamed to her that it was there.

She made it out of the building without further alarm and drove home. She would wait until late tonight to make her move. So until then, she would do everything she remembered doing since she had come back from her last mission.

If she had ever really been on that mission, she didn't know what to believe at this point.

So she went about gathering her clothes so she could throw them in her mission bag when the time came, she was just packing to go on vacation in case there were eyes on her and she was pretty sure there were. But as soon as it was time for bed, she turned out the lights and put her things in her mission bag. At about ten o'clock she heard a car pull up outside her apartment and knew that that was her ride. She waited five minutes and then looked out her front window. Sure enough, parked in front of the building was a Toyota corolla, she guessed about a 2004 vintage. It would be perfect for driving her off the grid. She lay on her bed until about midnight and silently thanked Madam Le. She didn't know it at the time, but when she had agreed to help the Chinese woman's son escape from a Chinese prison seven years ago, while on another mission, she would have a mother's undying gratitude. Sarah had purchased the room as a safe room that even her employer was unaware of. Oh they were aware that she had one, they just didn't know where. All agents have them. It is a necessity in this line of work.

She snuck out of her apartment and quickly loaded up the car and began to drive south, out of the city. If she was lucky, the confusion about her going on vacation may work to her advantage and she just might make it off the grid.

As she drove down I 95, she began to wonder just what it was that she was running from the CIA for. Surely, it wasn't some romantic notion of a lost love. Why would the CIA care about that, unless it was another agent…maybe a foreign agent.

She shook her head and stopped this train of thought. The first thing she would have to do is successfully make it off the grid, set up a base of operations and then see if she could find someone who could help her hack into the most secure database on the planet. She laughed humorlessly as she wondered if she had set her objectives just a little too high.

By sunrise, she was only a couple of hours away from Atlanta but was afraid she wasn't going to stay awake for much longer. Besides, the worst thing she could do was draw attention to herself by getting into an accident.

She found a small roadside motel and caught a couple of hours sleep. She hoped that with luck on her side, the best espionage agency in the world had not turned their attention to her as of yet. The more time she had before they did, the better her chances.

Only as she lay on the broken down bed in a broken down motel that she had paid cash for, did she stop to consider further why the CIA would want to keep her from finding out who this man was…and, why would they go to such extremes to remove the memories of one of their own.

She was missing something…something big.

**A/N: I am considering giving reviewers additional information. Sort of like working notes for each chapter. Some of which may hold clues to future events. I'm not sure if that would enhance or detract from the story. If you have an opinion, I wouldn't mind hearing it.**

**AKA**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm overwhelmed by the positive response to this story. Thank you for the encouragement. I guess the vote is in on the Author's Notes. Surprisingly to me, most people would prefer to just read the story. That's probably a good thing. Me, trying to be cleaver with author's notes would slow down the posts. lol

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Also, you should know that this looks like it's going to be a rather long story. Hope that works for everyone.

Witness Protection

Chapter 3

It had been twenty eight hours since she walked out of her DC apartment in a frantic attempt to escape the web of espionage intelligence that had secretly ensnared her. It had been almost twenty hours since she had had a shower and she was longing to be out of the car and into a place where she could spread out a little.

Not sure why she chose this little town, she nonetheless was happy to finally be driving down the sleepy streets of Gulf Shores, Alabama early Wednesday morning. She had caught about four hours sleep at a rest stop and then used her laptop to connect to the internet using the wireless connection there. This gave her access to the local newspaper. And from that she got the names of people who were renting their beachfront condos and houses for weekly and monthly rates.

She had talked to three people on the phone as she drove from the rest stop to Gulf Shores and she had made an appointment with one of them. Using her CIA training, she picked the person with the strongest conspiracy theory vibe. If you want to make sure your financial dealings stay under the table, you need to choose who you deal with carefully. The person who thinks the government is out to get them is usually a safe bet when you want to pay cash and keep the government out of the picture.

So when she pulled up at 1347 West Beach Blvd. and saw the man with the NRA hat on, she felt good about her decision.

Exactly thirty seven minutes later, she was unloading her car of the few essentials that she had packed for this journey. Her two huge mission bags held the majority of her "business gear" and what little clothing she brought along. She planned on buying any specific items she might need. For instance, if seduction was necessary, she would get the appropriate outfit.

The main thing right now was to follow procedure and become a part of the community. She already knew exactly how to proceed having done this many times in the past.

After taking a shower and changing clothes, she went to the grocery store and picked up some food. She bought a newspaper and went by the community college and picked up a brochure and a class schedule. She then went back to her beach-front cottage and went through the newspaper looking for a job. She would need a bank account under her new name of Sally Wallace to make future travel plans as well as some online purchases that she would likely need. And, she would need a payroll check to start a bank account. She found two jobs that suited her needs and after having a bite to eat, she went back out and applied for work at the local deli and at the JC Penny store.

Before she had made it back to her house, she had a start date for the deli, and an appointment to see a counselor at Faulkner State Community College. She wanted to take a computer class there and gain Intel on where she could find a hacker skilled enough to help her hack into the CIA Intranet.

As she sat on her back porch looking out at the gulf, she thought that there was something about the deli that she found soothing. She wasn't sure what it was but she wondered if it had anything to do with her forgotten past.

She had prepared for her big day at her new job and prepared a list of questions to ask the counselor at the college and she was pleased with what she had accomplished in just a single day. And although she knew that just because it didn't seem like the CIA was on her trail, she was not naïve enough to realize that they might be surrounding the town as she sat there. She was fully aware of the resources that were being put into play at this very moment. But yet, her instinct told her that at least for now, she was safe.

She had made it through the first day. It was late at night and there were no boating lights out across the Gulf and yet she could hear the ocean as it played its melody under a harvest moon. The moon's light reflecting against the tips of the waves as they danced to the rhythm of the moment.

She had found a sketch pad in her mission bag which surprised her; she had no recollection of every sketching in her past. Her only thought was that it must have been something she had picked up during the time that her memory was taken from her. It laid on her lap unused.

So she sat on her back porch listening to the ocean's song, a song that seemed to pull at the very fringe of her memory, teasing and coaxing it from the hidden recesses that she could not reach. She had no clear recollection of listening to it like this before, but she felt sure she had.

These thoughts started her thinking about her dream. And so, as she sat in this peaceful environment, her mind free to wonder where it would, the time sped by like it does when one is comfortable and enjoying the moment. When she checked the time, she found that she had sat for almost two hours thinking about her past…as well as her future.

Even more astonishing was what she had drawn on her sketch pad while she idly passed the time. As she looked at it, she realized that she had drawn the outline of the man from her dream. It was rough with no real identifiable features, to speak of, but Sarah knew who it was.

That's when she knew for sure that there was a connection between the mystery man and the ocean. It had been trying to tell her but she didn't know how to listen. She vowed to become more sensitive in the future.

She traced the outline of the image with her fingertips and wondered where he was? Was he even alive? Did he know about her? That gave her a start. Could he be searching for her like she was searching for him? To be honest, she wasn't just searching for him. She was searching for her past, to answers that only a forgotten past could provide. So she wouldn't have to see a poster hanging on a wall and know it was meaningful to her and not know why.

Looking down at the sketch, she realize that he was certainly a part of that past.

Sarah Walker went to bed that first night in Gulf Shores tucking herself in tightly under her covers. Her windows were open and she could still hear the ocean's song. She thought of her mystery man. She hoped he was alive. She hoped that she would one day get to look into his eyes. But most of all, she hoped that this huge hole in her mind would be filled with what had been taken from her.

The control room was smoke filled as men intently listened to telephone chatter their hands cradling the headsets on their heads trying to hear every detail of the conversations. They watched video feeds of airports, bus stations, and train stations looking for the missing agent. To the untrained eye it looked like pandemonium, but the director of agent affairs knew that this was a finely tuned instrument. He continued to watch and listen until he was interrupted.

"She's not with him, Sir. He's been in Wisconsin on a business trip." A technician reported.

"Goddammit, how long has she been gone?" he said, turning to the project lead by his side.

The younger man checked his watch. "Almost thirty seven hours, Sir."

"I don't care what you have to do, short of killing someone, I want her found, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir, perfectly clear."

The director stormed out of the room while at the same time, pressing a speed dial number on his phone. "Dr. Green, assemble your team. We've got a problem."

The director of agent affairs walked to the nearest elevator and stepped inside. He pressed the button taking him to a sub-surface level. When the door open, he exited and walked down a narrow corridor and after making numerous twists and turns, ended up in a conference room outside of a medical lab.

He stared at the other man standing in the room, exchanging the severity of the situation with his eyes. He then turned to address the psychiatrists, psychologists, and behavioral techs seated around the large conference table.

"Agent Walker's procedure is failing. She's off the grid."

The room irrupted into chatter and animated gestures as the medical personnel began to talk and gesticulate to each other.

"Listen, the guys upstairs are doing everything they can to find her, but she's got thirty seven hours on us," the director said.

The murmur rose in intensity again.

"That's why I'm here. We're going to need every resource we have. I don't want to let her down. I…we all gave her our word that this would work." The director stared at every man and woman in the room. "We owe it to her to bring her back before she ruins what she herself has worked so hard for." He watched as the others in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay, what about the others?" the director asked.

"Like we've said before, because of the near symbiotic relationship between the intersect architecture and the asset's brain function at a cellular level, the process was much stronger with him than the other two. After further analyzing the data, we feel the process is irreversible in his case. Chuck Bartowski is truly dead."

"And Walker's partner?"

"John Casey is having the same symptoms as Agent Walker, but in his case, he believes it's due to his drinking. He is doing fine. He shouldn't be a factor."

"He'll be a factor if Walker finds him."

"That's highly unlikely."

"You don't know Agent Walker; she's the best we have. Do not underestimate her." He turned to leave and then stopped and addressed the group again. "I want a new psych-up on her. Where would she go, what is she thinking? Anything you can come up with to help us find her." As an afterthought he added, "There are lives at stake here…innocent lives." He left the room without looking back.

"Wendy, have you seen the Passwater account folder?" Chad asked from his office.

"I put it on your desk. Look under the folder you're working on now." Wendy waited for him to respond.

"Found it, thanks."

Wendy smiled and went back to work as she sat in the main reception area of the small office building.

Besides Ed, the accountant, Chad and Wendy were the only people in the office. Chad was the owner and employed two technicians besides Wendy and Ed. Although she had only worked for Chad for a short while, she knew that all of his employees, like herself would not dream of working for another company. Like everyone said, _he was just a great guy_.

It was a quarter after five and Ed had his briefcase in hand and was walking toward the door. "Don't stay too late. You want to leave some for tomorrow," he said and smiled at Wendy.

"There's always something to do tomorrow," Chad yelled back good naturedly.

After a moment, Wendy yelled at Chad, they rarely used the phones unless a customer was around. "How late are you staying tonight?"

He began to yell back but looked up in surprise to see Wendy standing in his doorway. Lowering his voice he continued. "I don't know, until about eight, I guess."

Wendy smiled. He always stayed until eight. "Do you want me to bring in some food or are you thinking of taking me out to eat tonight?"

He ignored that. He always ignored her blatant attempts to flirt. "I'm not hungry. Listen, there's no need for you to stay late every night just because I do. I've got a lot more invested in this than you do."

"I don't mind. I've got nothing better to do."

"Sure you do. Listen, you're new here. Go out and meet people. You're too young to waste you life here every night."

"Is that what you're doing? Wasting your life away?"

Chad gave her that look.

"Anyway, I don't see this as a waste. I enjoy it."

Chad shook his head clearly not convinced. But he went back to work. He worked nonstop for close to an hour when Wendy yelled at him from her office. "I've got some cold pizza from last night in the fridge. You want some?"

Chad was tired. He had been burning the candle at both ends recently. He stood and walked out of his office, past Wendy's area and into the small break room.

He stopped short for just an instant upon seeing her. It was like déjà vu but he moved past it without another thought.

"Aren't we a pair? Eating cold pizza on a Wednesday night at ten after six." He smiled at her.

"Yeah, we're a pair alright," she said and handed him a slice.

They ate in comfortable silence.

"You know what I'm going to do?" he said.

"I've no idea."

"I'm going to get out of here early. And I'm going to insist that you do too."

She smiled at him but suddenly she was tired. Tired of beating around the bush. And yet, she couldn't just come right out and say it. "Can I ask you a question, Chad?"

He looked at her because of the change in her voice. "Sure."

"Is there someone else in the picture?"

"Someone else," he echoed not understanding her meaning at first. "Oh, no. No one."

"You wouldn't lie to me would you?"

"What's this all about, Wendy?"

"Isn't it clear?"

It was clear. He just didn't know how to deal with it. He took a deep breath and hoped that he could explain to her what he wasn't even sure he understood himself.

"Look, Wendy. I wish I could give you what you wanted, but I can't. I don't even know why I can't. If I had to describe my idea of the perfect girl it would be you. Your blonde hair and blue eyes are beautiful. Your skin is smooth as I've ever seen. You're absolutely gorgeous and you've got everything in just the right place."

"But…" She knew the hammer was about to fall.

"But, I don't know. I'm just not interested in anybody. I don't know why. I don't like going home alone every night…I don't. But…I guess… I've not found the right girl," he said trying to at least put a period on it. He liked her and wished she could be more to him than just an employee but when he thought about it, he just couldn't go there.

She smiled through her disappointment. "Well, you can't blame a girl for trying."

"Believe me, I'm flattered. I wish I could respond…but I just can't."

She started to clean up the mess feeling very awkward. She couldn't remember being turned down before. "I'm sorry if I put a downer on an otherwise pretty good day."

"Hey, what do you say, let's get out of here?" He was trying way too hard, for her.

"Sure," she said and they went to their respective work areas to gather their things.

Five minutes later, she was walking out to the parking lot with him. She had decided that someone had broken his heart bad.

She watched him get into his car, a black Porsche and wave at her. She waved back trying hard to smile happily. As she watched him drive away, she wondered what kind of a witch could do this to such a great guy.

She got into her own car and started it, she sat there for moment thinking. _If he's had his heart broken sooner or later he's going to want somebody to talk to. _She drove off thinking that when he was ready to talk, she would be here for him.

**A/N: Next chapter may take a couple of days to flesh out. I will be as quick as I can be.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N****:** I apologize to all who had trouble with the elimination of my scene breaks. They're in my original manuscript but when I download to ff, they disappear. I'm sorry for the confusion that caused. I'll come up with something that works.

Also, I want to caress the Charah fundamentalists out there (of which I am one) I will say this…don't worry about Wendy.

At this point, no one has figured out what is going on here. I'm surprised because I think you're making it too complicated. No pun intended.

Reading the title may clear it up for some.

Now to everyone who has taken the time to let me know what you think of the story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But for the rest of you, Yeah, I'm looking at you… show me some love. (Ur, not literally) I'm working my butt off here- churning out a chapter a night. If you like it, say so. If not, well…maybe reviewing is not such a good idea. lol

Seriously- I do appreciate the feedback.

I don't know if I've heard anyone else say this so I will. Reviews are sort of a status symbol for the Fanfic Writer. Stories with high reviews are considered better and therefore better written or at least more pride worthy. I want a good ego trip as much as the next guy.

So when you like a story write a review. Not just for me for anyone.

Don't be that guy/gal listening to public radio and refuse to send in your money. Or I might call you with a pledge request.

My author's note is so long I'm too tired to write the story. Ha ha.

**Witness Protection**

**Chapter 4**

Sarah left the bank with her new checkbook in hand. In less than a week she would have a new debit card and then she could begin to look in earnest for the partner she needed to hack into the CIA Intranet. She would start to filter her cash into her account a little at a time as well.

She fought the impatience she felt to move faster, knowing that impatience was the enemy of a good agent. Impatience is what caused most missions to fail, she knew she must wait for all of the pieces to fall into place before taking the next step.

After two weeks in Gulf Shores, she felt comfortable that unless she made a mistake, she had some time before her pursuers would sniff out the trail.

She had one class under her belt at the community college. Before that class, she had done her homework and discovered her professor was a man so she went to the first class dressed to be noticed. Not over the top, but in that subtle way that women have.

David Jones was a good looking man but was married. And all during the first class, she hoped that he would turn out to be a decent man. But she was jaded. She couldn't remember the last decent man she had met. But still, she held out hope.

For the first ten minutes after class, she began to think that maybe she had been wrong but then when she crossed her legs, she noticed he was looking and his eyes lit up like neon. And that's when the innuendoes began. He was one of those guys that couldn't help themselves. She had seen them before. Hell, she made her living on them. Sarah was beginning to believe that all men were like that. But she did her job, she played along. Not too much, just enough to keep him guessing about his chances with her.

The first meeting ended with him telling her how happy he was that she was in his class and that he thought they would be good for one another.

As she walked out of the classroom, she thought that as soon as she learned what she needed from this guy, she would be gone. She hated to think that she had to keep playing up to him. Had he been a really bad guy, she wouldn't have cared because she most likely would have put a bullet in his head, but this guy was just a jerk to his wife, not a murderer. For some odd reason it made it harder to be nice to him.

But time went by and soon she had had three classes and then four. And with every class was another get together afterwards. Sarah had become comfortable in his office. All they did was talk. But she knew that he was waiting for his opportunity. And. she knew how to forestall that.

So finally she had picked up a computer magazine of some kind and was just thumbing through it as she waited for him to finish talking with another student. As she made it to the back of the magazine, she found the "want ads" and began to look at them with interest. She realized that she had found her opening. By the time David came back into his office, Sarah had found a number of ads that she was interested in, at least to start the conversation.

"David, what are these ads about that say "full service contractor" at the top of them?" she said.

"Let me see," he said reaching for the magazine. He began to read for a moment. "Uh, these guys are computer "guns for hire". They will do virtually anything you want done involving all kinds of technology."

"Really? I didn't even know something like that existed," Sarah said, all wide eyed.

"Oh yeah, you'd be surprised what some of these guys can do, from industrial espionage to keeping tabs on husbands and wives. They're like the new Sam Spade of this century."

"Industrial espionage? You mean like breaking into companies secure web pages?"

"Exactly."

"So, are these guys here," she said as she held up the magazine. "The best of the best?"

"Heavens no…they're hacks. You don't find the really good ones in a magazine."

"Where do you find them?" Sarah had started to get a little closer and gave off more inviting signals to keep the professor from thinking about why she was asking all of these questions.

"It's all word of mouth with those guys."

"How does anybody ever know who they are if its word of mouth?"

"Everyone in the computer business has contacts. For instance, word is, that there is a new guy on the block that is killer. But he's priced himself out of the market. But, if you want something done that is impossible, he's the guy to call. You just have to be willing to pay through the nose."

"How do you know about this?"

"I've got a buddy up at UA that keeps me up to date. He used to be one of those guys."

"But I still don't understand, how would I, that is if I wanted to have some of this work done, how would I go about contacting them?"

Sarah had subconsciously made David feel pretty good about himself with her visual cues. Her big doe eyes and her awe struck voice. So much so that he was enjoying the feeling of being the 'know it all' professor that it didn't occur to him what was happening.

He reached in the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a laminated sheet of paper. "You never saw this from me, but I've got a pretty good list here of the kind of guys we're talking about," he said, showing her the list but not letting her have it.

Sarah scanned the list for names and numbers and committed the twelve names and numbers to memory.

"Well this has been an interesting evening. Thanks," she said, her voice completely professional as she walked out of his office.

"Hang on, where are you going?"

"Oh, I've get to get home and so should you," she said, realizing that she had everything she needed from the horny professor. She didn't like his class anyway.

He watched her leave and as he did, she made sure to twist and sway just that much more. _Serves you right…cad_, she thought.

Later that night on her back porch, she found herself thinking why any woman would want to put themselves in the situation of being dependant on a man, especially a man like David Jones. _And aren't they all. _

But then she thought about her mystery man. Surely, he was not like the rest of them. She would not let herself fall for a womanizer. Not under any circumstances. Suddenly, a terrible thought ran through her mind. Maybe she was married just like the professor's wife. She raised her left hand quickly and examined her ring finger closely. She saw no trace of a ring mark and visibly relaxed. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. No, she finally decided. It was rare for CIA operatives to get married unless…it…was...for…a…mission.

"God, don't let it be that," she said out loud. She then looked down at the sketch pad that was always on her lap when she watched the ocean at night. Over the course of the last two weeks, she had managed to add a little to the features that she had sketched, nothing as good as a police sketch. But she hadn't given up hope. She had an outline of those haunted eyes. She hadn't been able to capture them completely but she was getting close. She thought about her mystery man and was pretty sure that he meant more to her than just a mark. She could visualize in her dream just how anguished she was that he was leaving.

Unless it was all for show.

She let out a yell of frustration. She was so tired of not knowing who this man was and what he meant to her. She decided then that she would stop wondering about all of the possibilities and just concentrate on finding him. That was the key because when she found him, she was relatively sure she would also find the key to her lost memories as well. And the first step to finding him was finding a hacker.

She had a list of names and numbers and tomorrow she would call them and see where the trail went. All in all, she had to admit, her plan was working out perfectly. She went to bed that night relatively sure that tomorrow would bring additional resources to the mix.

She had a hard time going to sleep, but finally the song of the ocean lulled her busy mind away from pleading chocolate eyes and curly hair and onto slumber.

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"Hello, my name is Sally Wallace, and I'm looking for someone who can do some delicate computer work for me?"

"How delicate?"

"Government agency delicate."

Click.

That's how seven of the thirteen calls went. Five others were too confident for Sarah's liking, but the last guy said he wasn't interested but had two other numbers for her. One, was a long time player with a solid reputation and the other was a newcomer that had pulled off some rather spectacular jobs in his short career.

So Sarah made two more phone calls. She called the new hot shot first, but he didn't answer. Instead, she left him the number of the new cell phone she had purchased once she got settled into town. It was a pay as you go account and very difficult to trace back to her.

She then called the last number.

"Yeah."

"I'm needing some rather delicate computer work done."

"How delicate?"

"Involving government agencies."

Silence.

"Hello."

"I'm listening."

"I'm very well funded. I would be able to get you anything you need for the job."

"Twenty thousand dollars upfront and another twenty if we complete, based upon pre-agreed to milestones."

"Agreed."

"And we will need to do this in an area far away from where I live."

"Agreed."

"How do I know you're not a fed?"

"I am a fed."

"What?"

"I said, I am a fed. I still need you to do the job."

Sarah expected the phone to go dead at any time, but she knew in order for this to work, she would have to be above board with the man.

"Lady, if this is some joke."

"It's not a joke. Look, I'll meet you anywhere you want. Just let me know the place and the time…I'll be there."

"Mall of America, day after tomorrow at noon. What do you look like?"

"Blonde hair, blue eyes. Tall and I'll be wearing blue jeans and a black T-shirt."

"Carry a rose, too."

"What?"

"Carry a rose. I always wanted to have a clandestine meeting with a woman who carried a rose."

"You're joking, right?"

"Do you want the job done?"

Sarah took a deep breath and considered her options. She didn't like the odd request from the guy. It gave him a nerdy kind of vibe and she didn't equate nerdy with expertise. Finally, realizing that she didn't have any other options.

"Alright. I'll be there."

"With the rose?"

"Yes, with the rose."

Click.

Sarah wondered what she was walking into. But when she thought back to all of the hackers she talked to, they all had a weird quality to them in some way or another.

_Maybe the whole lot of them were strange, _she thought_._

Nevertheless, she went online and made her airline reservation for Minneapolis day after tomorrow. She would have to drive to Pensacola which was the nearest commercial airport to Gulf Shores. She still felt like her plan was on schedule, and given where she started, she felt pretty fortunate to be in this position. But she was very much aware that her former employer would not stop looking for her.

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Director Kemmet picked up his phone. "Yeah, talk to me."

"The Chinese woman refuses to cooperate. Do you want us to force her?"

"You better start laughing, Agent Watkins, because if I thought you were serious, I'd have you thrown out of this agency so fast. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly."

"Well."

"Well what?"

The director waited for the agent to catch on. He wanted to prove a point.

"Ha ha ha," Agent Watkins said meekly.

"Let her go, but keep an eye on her. Make sure we get every phone call she makes and receives."

Just as the director hung up the phone, Agent Ramsey, the project lead knocked on his door.

"Come in."

"John, I wish I had better news but we are going into marathon mode. We can't maintain the sprint any longer."

"I know, Jim. We lasted a day longer than I thought we would. Tell everyone that I said they did a good job. I know why they put it all on the line and if I get the chance to tell Agent Walker one day, I will."

"Yes, Sir."

"I should have expected this. I take responsibility for it. If anyone around here knew that she would be capable of disappearing, it was me," the director said.

"I have to say, she's done that, sir. We haven't had one hit. We know where to look but she does too. "

"According to her new profile, we need to concentrate around coastal areas. They feel pretty confident that she will be drawn to the ocean."

"I've already informed the guys. We're starting with the Texas Coast and are working our way back to Florida and then we'll switch to the Pacific Coast. It's slow going. But we'll take it town by town."

The director nodded his acceptance of the situation.

Agent Ramsey started to leave when the Director called him back.

"Oh, Jim. Bring Kelly Meyer back in. I don't care how you have to do it, but get her back here. If anyone knows how Sarah Walker thinks, it's her best friend."

"Yes, Sir." The agent left with a grim expression.

After the director was alone in his office, his own expression became sour. He had put this off for too long. Now that it was obvious that Agent Walker was free, they needed to make sure that their sister agency was in the loop.

He picked up his office phone.

"Connie, get me Diane Beckman," he said and hung up.

In just a moment his phone rang and he answered it.

"John Kemmet."

"Hello Diane. How are you?"

"Yes it has been a long time. Of course I will tell her."

"Actually, that's the reason for my call. I regret to inform you that Agent Walker has gone off the grid. I can only assume that she will be looking for Bartowski or Casey. In case she searches out Casey, I thought you might want to keep an extra detail on him. I would appreciate it if you spot her you will tell my people. And Diane, I don't have to tell you she's one of ours…tell your guys no rough stuff. "

"I know, I feel the same way. Maybe we can still salvage the situation. Trouble is… our doctors are telling me that if the procedure failed the first time, it has an even greater likelihood of failure again."

"You know Walker as well as I do. Even knowing what we know now, she would have insisted on going through with it. I've never seen a more dedicated handler willing to protect her asset."

"I know that wasn't his official designation at the end. But that's still how Walker saw him. At least that's what her psych profile states. I guess once and asset always an asset."

As the general spoke, the director's brow drew down. "Are you saying that Walker and Bartowski were in love?"

"No, it's just that I'm wondering why I didn't know about this?"

"You're right. It would have changed nothing under the circumstances. And like you say, that was just hearsay and speculation anyway. But it does make their decisions more extraordinary, don't you think."

"I know. I agree. Who knows maybe something will happen that will cause all of this to be unnecessary. "

"I know. But it doesn't hurt to dream."

"I agree. Take care, Diane."

**A/N: Okay, tomorrows post should be good. I apologize for the short chapter here but that's the way it turned out the best for the overall story.**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I've rushed this to press. It was either that or wait until the weekend. Don't hold it against me if the quality dips a hair.

Witness Protection

Chapter 5

"She did what!" Kelly said as she sat around a huge conference room with key members of the team trying to locate Sarah Walker.

"It's true, I think it was the asset's idea but Walker was the loudest proponent of the plan. We need you to help us find her. You know her better than anyone. Where would she go? What's her plan?" Director Kemmet said.

"I honestly don't think I can help you," Kelly said, looking bewildered.

Kemmet frowned at her words, "Why is that?"

"Because the Sarah Walker I know would never, in a million years, give up her life for an asset. Are you sure there isn't more to the story than what you're telling me?"

Kemmet looked around the room and took a deep breath. "Number one, she didn't give up her life, she gave up part of it." He took a deep breath. "I just learned this last week myself but there is a possibility that Walker and the Asset were emotional involved."

"What!" she said and stood from her seat. She looked around the room. "You psych guys know her profile. Is Sarah Walker even capable of falling for a mark?"

All heads turned to the medical team. "That's classified information-"

"Come on, Mark. Now is not the time or the place for procedural roadblocks. Just answer the question."

The doctor looked around the room. "Frankly, the answer is yes…But the scenario was deemed unlikely."

"I don't believe you. I know her. I know how she grew up. Don't tell me this guy from the West Coast, whoever he is, was able to get to her. I just don't believe it."

"Well, that's why you're here. I know you're upset about being pulled from the mission. I know you had the promise of becoming an agent upon its successful completion…but we need you here. And frankly, Kelly…I'm sure that promotion is coming either way."

She smiled at that. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Anticipate what Walker will do."

"In order to do that, I have to know why she ran. Why didn't she just come to you and ask for help. No, I have to meet this mark. See if I believe he could do the impossible…get Sarah Walker to fall in love. Then I can help you."

The Director nodded his agreement. "We'll brief you on the protocols that need to be followed. But I want you working on a solution by the end of next week. So you need to be in Seattle soon."

"I understand."

"You can review her file on the trip there." Kemmet coughed before continuing. "Tell me, how will knowing Sarah fell for the asset change your assessment of what she's doing?"

"It's simple, if she trying to find her lover, she's going to end up in LA, but if she's off the grid for some other reason…have you guys considered she's found something big and is working on it. Maybe she's just doing her job right now. The two scenarios would require a completely different approach."

"But we know she was having memory issues." Kemmet said.

"Could be coincidental. I don't know. But until I meet this guy, I won't even have a clue."

"Agreed, get started," Kemmet said and he watched her leave the room.

"What do you think?" Kemmet asked the room.

"It is possible. But I'm still leaning toward the asset."

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Wendy backed off the flirting. She realized that Chad didn't really like it. All in all, things started to go a lot better after that. He started eating dinner with her at the office most evenings. She still had to be careful not to come on to him or he would excuse himself, politely, but he would be gone nonetheless.

But it was during these meals at the office when they were alone that she got him to open up a little.

"How long have you lived over here?" she asked.

"Since I was thirteen. My parents were killed in a house fire in Manchester and my only living relative had just moved over here to Seattle. I moved in with her until I went away to college."

"Where did you go?"

"Back home."

"Oh, I see."

"What about girlfriends?"

Chad looked at her and she could see she was on thin ice and that he was still in pain from whatever happened. She was sure he was going to tell her how some girl broke his heart.

"She died. It's not been that long ago really. Just last year."

"Oh, Chad I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Why didn't Ed or someone tell me?"

"He probably thought it was good for me to have a pretty girl like you flirting with me. I don't' know."

"That's going to stop right now. I promise."

"Thanks, I just can't even think about anyone else. I'm not sure that I ever will."

"So, tell me about your hobbies? What do you do when you're not working?" She wanted to change the subject.

"Sleep." They both laughed. "No, I've got some tech stuff I'm into but nothing that would impress you."

"Don't' say that. I'd love to see you're place sometime and see what you do with all of that free time of yours."

"Yeah, maybe someday I can have the whole team over for a cookout and I can show everyone what I do for fun."

"Speaking of fun, how long have you had your car, I love it?"

"It's brand new. I use to drive a truck but I was driving down…I don't remember which street but it's the one with all the car dealerships on it."

Wendy just shook her head. She didn't know.

"Anyway, I'm driving down the road and I see this car, and it was the craziest thing because I always plan out my purchases. It took me three months to buy my last car. But I saw this car and an hour later it was mine. I don't know, sometimes I think I've lived a different life before. You know liked reincarnation. I don't know why, but sometimes I just get these flashes. Like from a past life or something. I can't seem to control it. It even happened the other night a couple of weeks ago when we were having cold pizza, remember."

She nodded her head.

"I walked into the room and saw you but for just an instant, it wasn't you it was someone else."

"You're girlfriend, maybe?"

"Yeah, I mean no. See that's the weird thing. You don't look anything like my girlfriend but the person I thought I saw, for just an instant I felt extreme joy that she was here…and I don't even know who she was."

"That is weird, Chad."

"Isn't it. I don't know. Maybe I'm losing my mind."

"You know what I bet it is? Greif. You're still mourning the loss of your girlfriend and grief can cause your mind to play tricks on you."

Chad brightened with that. "Yeah, you're right. I've never thought of that."

"You know what you should do?"

He looked dubious. "No, what?"

"You should get a dog."

"A dog?"

"Yeah, they are great companions. Do you know that people with dogs live longer that people without dogs?"

"They also get fleas."

"Yep…you should get a dog," she said ignoring him.

"Wendy."

"Yeah."

"Whatever you do, do not get me a dog."

She looked deflated. "Oh, come on. I know you would love it. You would be such a good dog owner. We could go to the Humane Society and get one tomorrow."

"Wendy," he said with a serious look in his eye.

"Alright, I won't, but I'll bet you would love it." Wendy cleared her throat a little nervous about the change in subject in light of their previous conversation. She already had this planned and just about decided not to ask but changed her mind at the last second.

"Hey, I feel a little odd about this but I've already bought the tickets and I don't have anyone to go with-"

Chad cut her off with a look.

"We could drive separate."

"Who is it?"

"Some guy from back East, I don't know if it's Indiana or Ohio someplace like that, but he is a guitar wizard. And my friend tells me he puts on the best show in the world, gets the audience involved and it's really good. His name is Michael Kelsey, you should YouTube him. I'm pretty sure he's got his own website. "

Chad took a deep breath. "If I go to this with you, we're not doing anything after. Just go to the show and go home. Agreed?"

"Absolutely, I would have never even picked up the ticket had I known about…everything."

"When is it?"

"Friday night at eight. It's at that small theater downtown. You know the one."

"Yeah, but where do you live?"

"Oh," she said surprised that he didn't know and that he was going to pick her up.

"On Elm, 32,345. It's near the Arena."

"Yeah, I know where it is. I'm doing this on one condition. I have to get back home pretty early so we go to the show and I take you home. I've got things to do."

"Great."

He looked at his watch. "Eight O'clock. Time to wrap it up."

Chad and Wendy cleaned up and left the office together but with opposite emotions coursing through their minds. Chad was concerned about the 'date' he had agreed to with Wendy and he really didn't want to end up hurting her. Wendy on the other hand was excited. Although she tried to contain herself, deep down she was going on a date with Chad.

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She felt silly walking through the Mall of America carrying a single rose. Only spies on TV did that. But Sarah Walker was alert, looking for a man with that look in his eye. She knew that look; she had been trained to spot it. It took a very good surveillance operative to fool a professional like Sarah. There is a certain alertness that's hard to disguise when you're watching someone. Even when you're not looking at them.

She had been walking around aimlessly for about fifteen minutes when she thought that maybe the guy wouldn't show. She had told him she worked for the government.

Judging by the voice on the telephone she guessed that she was looking for a man in his early thirties. He sounded confident, at least confident enough to accept the job. She had a picture of the type of guy she expected to see in her mind.

She stepped on the escalator to search the top floor. She was starting to think she might be back to square one, when suddenly, she heard a voice right behind her.

"The rain in Spain is…" he hesitated as he tried to think of a smart ending. "Uh, cold and damp."

Sarah tuned around to look at who was speaking to her. "I beg your pardon."

"No, no, no," he said disgustedly and in a conspiratorial whisper. . "You're supposed to say something mysterious like…" Again he stopped to think. He obvious saw the ice cream shop nearby. "The ice cream in the mall is rich and creamy." He smiled a pimply face smile at her. He couldn't have been more than nineteen. "That way I know it's you," he ended up saying.

Sarah stared at the young man with her most serious expression. Although it had no effect on him as he stood grinning at her and chewing his gum as though he intended for everyone within twenty feet of him to hear it. It wasn't until he raised his eyebrows at her that she decided she had made a mistake and began to walk away, throwing the rose in a waste container as she walked by.

The man stared at her perplexed but suddenly began to follow her.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She stopped and turning around with such grace that he took a second to actually watch her move before raising his gaze to her eyes.

"You're not serious are you?"

He laughed at that. "Of course I'm not serious." When Walker's expression tuned even more confused, he leaned towards her. "I'm Mike. Actually that's a lie too. I just made that up for this meeting."

She turned and began to walk again.

"What did I say?" he followed just behind her with his arms slightly outstretched.

Sarah checked the perimeter and not seeing anyone within earshot she stopped and regarded the man again. _This idiot reminds me of someone_, she thought. "If you think I'm going to risk everything on you…you're mistaken," she said.

"What do you mean?" he looked down at himself. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're not…"

"What?

"What I expected."

"Oh," he said looking relieved. "Yeah, I get that all the time. Let's start over. I'm Mike, not my real-"

"Yeah, I know. Not your real name. I'm Sally…ditto." She looked around to make sure they were still alone. "You've got five minutes to impress me."

He grabbed her hand and began to pull her to a park style bench about twenty yards away. She had taken about five steps when she pulled her hand free. She continued to follow but the frown on her face continued to grow with every step. _Who does this guy remind me of, it's driving me crazy. He's so obnoxious I can hardly stand it. _

They sat down and he began to chew his gum.

"Four minutes."

"Look, if you want someone who can get in and out of secure databases, there's about fifty guys out there willing to do it." He smiled at her then. "But, if you want someone to get in and out without them even knowing they were hacked…? There are only a handful of us."

Sarah hadn't thought about it but she guessed it was an advantage if they could get in and get out without the CIA even knowing about it.

"How do I know you can do what you say you can?" she asked.

He looked around and then pulled a manila folder from the top of the back of his pants. "Here, some sites I've been in, within the last twelve months."

She took the folder and looked inside. She had to admit, he appeared to have been inside some pretty impressive sites.

"The FDA, The Department of State, the IRS," she said looking at him with a little more respect.

"Like I said, I'm one of the best there is." He didn't sound as if he were bragging, just stating a fact.

"What I have in mind may be a little more involved than these sites," she said.

She saw his mind go to work and she was impressed with how quick he understood what she wanted. "FBI or CIA?" His expression didn't give away what he was thinking.

Sarah looked around. "Let's get out of here. We need to find someplace a little more private."

"More private, what do you have in mind…a motel room?"

Sarah glanced at him as though it were an afterthought as she stood and began to walk. "Exactly."

"Cool," he said and stuffed his folder into the back of his pants and hurried after her.

"So, what do you think, Mike?" she said emphasizing his fake name. "Can you do it?"

His confident persona had taken a beaten as Sarah laid out what she wanted.

"I'm not sure. You're talking about the CIA. Forget about what I said about getting in and out without them knowing. They will know the second we break through the wall."

"I don't care about them knowing. I just need to get some information from my personal file. I'm not talking about the HR file; I'm talking about the Psych files. That's where the real information is kept. There's nothing redacted there."

Mike rubbed his chin as his eyes unfocused in serious thought. "It will cost at least fifty thousand for the equipment. And I'm thinking we might have two minutes once they know we're there before they know where we are. I'm saying three minutes before we leave the premises whether we have the information or not. If you can live with that you have a deal."

Sarah looked at him and smiled. She was actually impressed. He was nothing like her first impression of him. For just a fleeting second she almost remembered someone telling her to give people a chance and not be too quick to dismiss them just because they were a little out there. But she couldn't remember who it was.

"Then we have a deal," she said.

"When do we start?" he said.

"Right now, I assume you have an ID so we can fly?"

"Sure, where are we going?"

"You tell me, is this home for you?"

"Maybe," he said as though he was not going to give that away.

"I can't read your mind. Pick a city and we're off. We'll get the equipment needed there and I'll find us a house to rent to set it up in."

"Man, if we pull this off, I'll be the man."

Sarah became very serious. "If we pull this off, no one can ever know you did this. If one person finds out the web surrounding the lie becomes exponentially weaker." Sarah's expression changed as she finished her statement. She seemed to take something else away from the statement as well.

For the first time since she knew that something was wrong with her memory, she had a theory. It wasn't even a theory at this point it was just something to think about.

"Come on, let's get to the airport. How does Phoenix, Arizona sound?"

"Uh, Sally?"

"Can I at least tell my buddies that I was in this sleazy motel with you?"

Sarah laughed. "You know you're just like Morgan, I don't-" she trailed off as she realized she had no idea who Morgan was. But you can bet that is one name she wouldn't forget soon.

"Come on, let's get out of here."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, before you come banging on my door about how this chapter ends, I'll only say that when all is said and done, you're going to love it. I'll say no more. Except...trust me. lol

But first, I have to tell you this quick story. Thursday, I'm driving home from a week at the world headquarters of my company. I'm in the middle of a five hour drive. I'm on a busy Interstate and I notice a black super s porscha coming upon me slowly over time. Now me being a huge Chuck fan, we know what runs through my mind. Here comes Sarah Walker. Now, I'm driving in the fast lane and the porscha come up right behind me so I move over into the slow lane so it can pass me. You have to know it was about 75 degrees out and sunny so I had my windows down taking advantage of the weather. When the car pulls up beside me, my eyes practically jump out of my head because the driver is an attractive thenty somethng blond with shoulder length hair. Now she's wearing big sunglasses so I really couldn't tell what she looked like, but she seemed to slow down as she was right beside my car. Her window was down too and she looked over at me a smiled before speeding on ahead. For the next two hours I had a huge smile on my face as I thought that somewhere out there was a girl who looked like Sarah Walker driving a black Porsca Super S.

Isn't that cool.

Witness Protection

Chapter 6

Sarah's first night in Phoenix was disturbing. She woke up the next day with a new dream to occupy her waking thoughts. With the old dream of her and her mystery man as she had come to refer to him as, she would wake up with a profound sense of loss, often having been crying. But that first morning in Phoenix was entirely different. It was clearer for one thing. She saw every feature of the four people in the room.

And she recognized the room. She had been in it within the last two months. What was different about this dream was the raw anger that was clearly tangible as she watched the events play out.

Sarah, her mystery man, a tall muscular man in his forties and the CIA Director of Agent Affairs were the people in the CIA conference room. Sarah was on her feet as was the tall, muscular man. Her mystery man and the Director were seated opposite from each other.

Sarah spoke primarily to the tall man and she was animated as she spoke. She appeared to be trying to persuade the tall muscular man to do something. The tall man kept shaking his head as if he were in complete disagreement. Finally, the tall muscular man slammed his fist on the conference room table to emphasis his position. He stood right in front of Sarah as he spoke with an angry expression. He then started to walk towards the door. Just as he turned his back to her, she shoved him with all her might and he stumbled towards the door. She stood looking at him with confrontation on her expression and in her posture. When he righted himself, he turned and glared at her. She said something to him and he left.

Sarah knew that in her dream, it was all she could do not to crumple onto the floor from where she stood. But instead, she walked over to the mystery man and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

She woke with a start.

That was two days ago and she had been thankful that the dream had not repeated like the original one had. In fact, for the last two nights, she couldn't remember having a dream.

She had rented a small house on the outskirts of Phoenix and over the past two days, Mike had gone about putting together a computer setup that would make any hacker, drool with envy.

Sarah had also picked up a number of other gadgets as she referred to them, which always got under Mike's skin. So she continued to call them gadgets more frequently secretly getting back at the annoying man.

On the night that they had planned the big attempt, Mike wanted to go over everything a third time. Sarah refused, saying if they weren't ready now, they never would be.

At 12:49, Mike told Sarah when he wanted to begin.

He was adamant that they wait until 2:37 a.m. before they started. Not only because there would be less CIA security personnel and especially suits, but the same would hold true for local law enforcement as well. But the main reason he told her was because that's his lucky time. Walker rolled her eyes at him and went into another room.

At 1:45a.m. she had had enough solitude and went back into the living room which acted as the control room for this little adventure. As much as she didn't want to start another conversation with Mike, she wanted to be alone with her own thoughts even less.

Not thinking of anything else to say, she just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So, Mike…when you're not busting into secured government websites, what do you do for fun?"

"That is what I do for fun."

Sarah didn't want to talk anymore… but the brief conversation must have charged Mike's batteries.

"You said you were a Fed, so what agency do you actually work for?"

To answer his question she asked her own. "What's your real name?"

He smiled at her getting her point.

"I know you won't answer this either but what are you trying to find. I mean what does the CIA have in your Psych file that is so important?"

"You're right…I won't answer. You're getting paid well for this, that's all you need to know."

"It might help me navigate inside if I knew what your objective was."

Sarah was amused at how when he was working, he took on a different persona and used words like "objective". But she didn't say anything to him. Besides, he had a point.

"I'll think about it."

"Ah ha, you are warming up to me. You see it's the Mike personality. The ladies can't resist my charms."

"What I can't resist is the urge to strangle your scrawny little neck."

Mike had turned in his chair and had been looking at the blonde woman when he turned back to the computer. "I think the woman protests too much," he said absent-mindedly as he became absorbed in last minute preparations.

Sarah had to admit, he did know his way around a computer.

"You know, if we get out of here with our skin on our backs, I want you to know I appreciate what you're doing." Sarah said it with no sarcasm and it was clear she meant it.

Mike turned in his chair and regarded her. "**If** we get out of here…you mean **when** we get out of here."

She smiled at him. "Right, like nothing could possibly go wrong."

He looked at a little bewildered. "Not as long as we're walking through that door no later than 2:40…nothing can go wrong."

Sarah turned introspective as she sat on the couch and was brought out of her reverie by Mike.

"Time," he said.

Sarah jumped up to stand over his shoulder.

"Okay, when I tell you, you flip the countermeasure switches just like we rehearsed. If you screw that up, you'll get nothing. That's a guarantee."

"You just pay attention to your job. I can handle flipping switches."

Mike typed in the username that Sarah had provided and then began to run a state of the art, hyper-fast, password program.

"Ok, we're in. Start the clock."

"Started."

"Okay, departments. There's medical…I don't see Psych or Psychology or anything like that here."

Sarah thought for a second. "Is there a folder for Dr. Reynolds?"

"Yeah."

"Go there. Look for a folder named Walker."

"First one, got it."

"Move, let me see." Sarah sat down as Mike looked over her shoulder. She didn't really want him near but realized he might have to step in at any time.

"How much time, Sally?"

"We've got forty five seconds." As soon as she finished speaking the screen turned darker and began to slow down.

"Mike, what's going on?"

"There just trying to keep us from getting any info. The longer it takes us the better the chances are that we'll run or get caught. Flip the first switch.

"That's better. There, that's what I want. The mission folder." Sarah clicked on it and began to watch the clock. It took five of the nineteen seconds they had left. Finally, a screen popped up.

Sarah scanned it with her eyes trying to take in all the information that she could, much like she had done with the professor's hacker list, before the screen went completely black.

"Times up, we're outta here," Mike said.

"Wait, just one more file," Sarah said, the anguish showing in the texture of her voice.

"Suit yourself, I'm gone." Mike ran out the door.

Sarah looked at the blank computer screen and then to the door. She let out a frustrated yell and ran after her partner. As they got into the car and sped away, Sarah pressed a button on a remote control device and the house was engulfed in flames from a huge explosion.

"Woo, so that's why you asked the landlord if he had good insurance?" Mike said laughing.

Sarah was too preoccupied to respond. She kept thinking about the information she had retrieved from the CIA database. It wasn't much and it meant nothing to her right now, but she new it was as good as a roadmap to her mystery man.

Five minutes into the drive, they passed four speeding police cruisers as they sped to, undoubtedly, a major house fire of suspicious origins.

"Well?" Mike said.

Sarah tried to ignore him but she knew what he was asking.

"I got something. It should help."

"You're welcome," he said smugly.

"Hey…you're getting paid for this. I don't owe you anything besides that money."

He was not to be deterred. "Yeah, that's true." He waited a little while. "But you're welcome anyway."

Sarah looked over at him and smiled. "You know you are annoying. I'm sure I'm not the only person who's told you that."

"Believe it or not, but I hear that a lot."

Sarah laughed as she turned onto the road that would take them to Phoenix International Airport. They planned to sleep at the airport tonight and be on the 6"00a.m. flight to their respective destinations. Sarah knew that Mike was going back to Minneapolis but he had no clue that she was going to Pensacola.

Once they got inside the airport and checked through security, Sarah made the wire transfer totaling, all together, 40 thousand dollars.

"Done," she said. "Care to check."

Mike used his IPhone and in a matter of seconds was satisfied.

"Are you sure I can never tell anyone about this?"

"Not unless you want some very bad guys showing up at your house one day. I can tell you, Mike…you don't want that."

He nodded his head, obviously accepting her explanation.

"Good luck, Sally notyourrealname. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"It was the first serious thing he'd said when he wasn't sitting at a computer terminal.

"Thank you, Mike. I hope I do too. And, no disrespect intended…but I hope I never see you again. I'm afraid that that would be a bad sign." She said smiling at him.

"My concourse is this way." He stopped and held out his hand.

Sarah looked at it for a second and then at Mike. What she did next surprised him but it surprised her even more. She grabbed him and gave him a huge hug. She had no recollection of ever doing that in the past and yet it seemed perfectly natural.

"Goodbye, Mike," she said and watched him saunter through the concourse as though he hadn't a care in the world.

Sarah went to her own gate area and made a sleeping pallet, of sorts, with her purse and a jacket. She left on time to Pensacola the next morning.

For the duration of her flight she had a man's name, the name of a city, and the name of their enemy to think about. She wondered if John Casey, was her mystery man. She already knew the Ring had taken over as the number one threat to America. But the name of the city intrigued her the most because it was not a mystery. She could go there tomorrow if she chose. She's never been to Burbank before. But she had every intention of changing that fact.

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Kelly Meyer had known Sarah Walker for as long as they'd been in the CIA. They went in almost on the same day and became fast friends, hitting it off immediately.

Kelly admired Sarah's work standard and her outlook on life because, if the truth were known, it mirrored her own.

So, as the pretty auburn haired woman walked into Chad Brown's office, she had a distinct negative bias towards the man that some say Sarah fell in love with.

As she neared the receptionist area, she couldn't help but notice the resemblance of the younger woman to Sarah. _Interesting_, she thought. She had been told by the medical team in Langley that it was impossible for the man she was going to see to remember even the smallest detail of his former life. And that for all intents and purposes, the man he was, died four months ago.

After looking into the smiling and sincere blue eyes of the receptionist, Kelly questioned that assessment.

"Good morning. I'm Kathy Winslow. I have a 10:30 appointment with Mr. Brown."

"Yes, he's expecting you. That office over there. Just knock on the door."

As Kelly walked towards the open doorway, she thought that at least the guy wasn't so pretentious that his secretary had to announce the arrival of his guests.

Upon knocking, she announced herself.

"Mr. Brown. Kathy Winslow," she said, walking over to grab his already outstretched hand. He had hurried to meet her on her side of his desk.

I'm so glad you could make it Ms. Winslow. I was afraid our schedules weren't going to allow us this face to face."

_He's got a pleasant smile. But it would take a lot more than a pleasant smile to sway or seduce Sarah Walker_, she thought. _He's way taller than any guy she's seen in the past. _

Kelly continued to assess the man as they talked about an upcoming job Chad's company had quoted on.

They talked about the job for about twenty minutes and then Kelly decided she had seen enough…for now. She finished the conversation and stood up to leave causing Chad to stand as well.

As she started to walk, the thought came into her mind. _I don't like him. I don't like the way he looks, I don't like the way he talks…I don't like him. There's no way that this guy and Sarah ever hooked it up…no way._

"Maybe you could come over to my office and see firsthand what the issues are," she said, smiling at him as she walked back towards Wendy. Kelly wasn't sure about Chad, but she had notice how Wendy had watched her when she first came in. There was a territorial posture about her. She decided to push that button to see what kind of response she'd get.

As both Kelly and Chad stood outside Wendy's office area, Kelly continued with her original proposition to Chad. "Maybe after you see the place you and I could grab a bite to eat and discuss the details," she said and watched Wendy for a response.

You didn't have to be a spy to read Wendy. She didn't like it one bit, but she bit her lip and staid quiet with her eyes down.

"Yeah, maybe. If the timing works out," he said.

_Well, I've been turned down before_, she thought. _But that was about as uninterested of a reply as I've had in a long time. _

Kelly wasn't for sure but she suspected that Chad and Wendy were more than just co-workers.

She spotted the accountant leaving the building and told Chad and Wendy goodbye.

"I hope we can work together," she said. Making sure that her eyes had just enough eagerness in them so that Wendy couldn't miss it but she doubted if Chad noticed.

"I'll be in touch," she said and walked to the door getting there at the same time as the accountant. After they were almost to there cars, she said without looking at him. "So what's the deal, are Brown and the receptionist doing the horizontal tango?"

As he opened his car door, he replied without making eye contact with her. That's what she's after but he is not having it. He just works and goes home. That's it." The accountant got in his car and drove away.

Kelly got in her car and drove to the end of the block before pulling off to the side of the road. She then dialed a number. "Director, Meyer here. I'd like a little more time here. We need to set up an office building so Brown's company can do some work for me. I don't see anything that says there something wrong here. But my gut says that there is. I just want a little more time." She listened for a moment.

"Thank you, sir." She hung up the phone and began to look for a nice hotel to stay in for a while.

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Sarah had been back to her little house on the beach in Gulf Shores for a couple of days. She was anxious to go to Burbank, California but her instincts told her to stay and do her homework first. She was especially interested in John Casey.

Actually, that had turned out easier than she would have imagined. She googled him and found out that a Colonel John Casey had been killed in a jet crash on November 10th, 2009, almost four months ago. He had been the sole passenger in the jet. Sarah knew from the obituary photo that she found that the tall, muscular man in her dream had been John Casey.

Initially, she had been disappointed but then she realized that in her world, nothing might be as it seemed.

It was as she was scouring the internet for more information about John Casey that her phone rang. Very few people had this number so she answered it with some hesitation in her voice.

"Hello."

"Hello."

Sarah waited for the caller to identify himself. When he did not, she continued.

"Can I help you?"

"You called me. I'm returning your call," he said in a distinctive English accent.

Sarah realized who it must be.

"I'm sorry, I'm no longer in need of your services," she said.

"That's good. I hope everything worked out okay?"

"Yes, it did." She always enjoyed listening to a man with an English accent. She thought briefly that she had worked with someone in the past with an English accent but could not remember who it was.

"Very good then," he said, clearly ready to end the call.

"Have a nice day," she said.

"Okey dokey,"

Wait! Don't hang up." She wasn't sure why she had just said that with so much emotion. It was like if he had hung up then she would have missed something that she would never have the chance of having again. She couldn't even explain it to herself.

"Yes?" he said a little annoyed.

"Ah…ah, well. Do I sound familiar to you. Because you do to me."

"Are you being serious?"

"Is that a no?"

"Yes."

"Yes, that's a no?"

"That's right. Look love, you sound like someone in need of a therapist," he began to laugh at the silence from the other end of the phone. At that, Sarah began to laugh as well. It felt good to her because it was real and honest.

"You don't know how right you are about that," she said, good naturedly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me, love."

Sarah smiled and shook her head. "No, my mental issues are staying private. By the way, I assume you're pretty good at busting into secure websites?"

"Why do you ask?" his voice guarded again.

" Like I said, I got what I wanted, but the process was painful. Tell me you're over nineteen years old?"

"Just a little, love."

"Do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Quit calling me love.

He laughed, "I'll try, but I can't promise that it won't slip out now and again. It's a bit of a habit."

The conversation slowed then. Finally, he said in closing.

"The main thing is that you got everything you needed, right lo-" he stopped himself before finishing the word.

"I wouldn't go that far. I got enough to go on. But one of my leads was a man named John Casey and it appears as though he's dead. I would have loved to talk with him." Sarah had no idea why she had just told a complete stranger that information.

"Hang on a minute there, love. Hold on."

"What?" Sarah said and was just about to hang up when he spoke again.

"That's interesting."

"What?"

"Almost to the second of you mentioning that Casey dude, we picked up another set of ears."

Sarah became deadly serious. "How do you know?"

"Equipment, love, ah sorry."

"Goodbye," she said.

"Hang on, we've got another twenty three seconds before they even get a regional fix. It's okay."

"I don't like this, I'm hanging up."

"Right. I'll call you tomorrow and we won't talk about you know who."

"Don't bother, I'm throwing this phone away tonight. If you call, it won't do you any good," she said and hung up.

She didn't know why she kept the phone. She didn't know why she stayed up late the next night. But when the phone rang, she answered it and smiled when she heard that English accent.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay, I'm a little concerned that I've given too much away but I don't think so. For all of you mystery lovers out there, The clue is out there now with this last chapter to add everything up and know how the story ends. Let me know if you figured it out. I'm not saying it will be easy but it is possible.

Witness Protection

Chapter 7

Sarah sat on board the plane destined for LA. She had spent two weeks preparing for this trip. She researched everything she could find on John Casey, the Ring, and LA. One of the things she had found was a small airstrip to the north or the city that looked an awful lot like the airport her and her mystery man stood on in her dream.

But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. The last two weeks, she had received a call late every night from her Englishman. She had come to call him Chester because of his hometown in England.

She had learned that he was educated in England but now lived in the States. She was somewhat conflicted due to her knowing on one level that there was this guy out there, her mystery man, but she really didn't have any idea what her connection to him was. But still, she always had a tinge of guilt after hanging up with Chester because of him.

Chester had told Sarah that he had a real job and that he hacked in his spare time because it gave him a sense of accomplishment that he didn't get otherwise. And, he liked the fact that he could "stick it to the man' and get away with it.

Sarah was very careful not to tell him too much about herself professionally; although she got the distinct impression that he knew she was on the opposite side of the law from himself. That's why he was always so guarded about himself.

She enjoyed their conversations the best when they talked about things in general or when he was in a particularly playful mood and their banter was teasingly sharp.

So as she flew across the country looking for clues to her mystery man and ultimately to her own past, she thought about her man from England. She had not even become aware of how much of her thoughts he was occupying.

She thought about the call just last night.

"Speaking of that, Chester. I'm going to be taking a trip tomorrow and we need to take a break from the calls. I don't want my cell phone ringing at an inappropriate time.

"I understand, believe me I do, love, but why don't you just turn it off when you need that kind of privacy."

Sarah loved the way he said the word "privacy" with a short "I" instead of the American version with the long "I". And, she had come to terms with him calling her, "love".

"I'll do that, but I just don't want to be distracted." Sarah knew that while she was looking for her mystery man, she didn't want to feel even more guilty while talking with Chester.

"Okay, where are you going?"

Sarah heard the disappointment in his voice and although she would have ordinarily not given him any information, she felt bad and threw him a bone. "I'm going to the West Coast."

"Really, I live on the West Coast…maybe we should meet."

Sarah was excited at the prospect but the timing wasn't right. "That's not a good idea right now. Don't be mad at me, I just have to do some things before I'm able to think about anything else."

"Hey, I get it, love, I do. Don't worry. Maybe someday we will meet. Won't that be the day?"

Sarah smiled as she sat on board the plane thinking back to her conversation. She smiled thinking about the possibility of herself and Chester meeting. _That would be the day_, she thought.

She turned her attention to the objective before her. Go to the airport and look for anything that could lead her to the next clue. That's were she would start.

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Sarah, true to her training, got herself settled in before going off to the airstrip. To say it was emotional for her was an understatement. It was clearly the location of her dream. As she stood in the exact location that she had visualized, she closed her eyes and heard his voice and she cried at the raw emotion of loss that she heard from his gentle question.

But there was something about that voice. There was a quality to it that she had heard before. She could not put her finger on where or even when it was. She finally thought that it had to be from her dreams. But it occupied the back of her mind for the rest of the day.

She went back to her hotel not wanting to be out in public that much. Although the sea of humanity in the area was vast and gave anyone a sense of obscurity, she knew that this was likely a place the CIA had sent many agents, to capture her.

Because of that, she slept during the rest of that day and went out later that night. It was just after midnight when she found herself in a grocery story outside of Burbank; she needed to pick up enough food to last her for a few days.

The store was virtually empty at the moment, but Sarah was careful as she moved about keeping an alert eye for anyone who might be tailing her.

When she reached the produce section, she saw a dark headed woman who had been looking at her quickly look away when Sarah made eye contact.

_This is bad_, she thought. If there's one here there's got to be a couple more somewhere else. She looked at each new person she passed, trying to determine whether they were a potential threat or not. Most people she passed would not remotely be threatening.

Sarah knew she could not go back to her hotel without taking care of the tail, so she went through the checkout lane and quickly looked around for her shadow.

Sure enough, two lanes over and trying not to be obvious, she was clearly keeping tabs on Sarah.

Sarah checked out as she was halfway to her car, she pulled the pistol she carried from the back of her pants and put a round in the chamber. _I've come too far to be stopped now,_ she thought.

She looked back and saw her tail walking quickly towards her. Sarah was pretending to put her groceries in the back seat of her car, her gun drawn and ready when the agent came for her.

Just when she felt a hand on her back, she whirled knocking the woman back against the car next to them and shoving her forearm underneath the woman's neck and her gun pointed right between her eyes, Sarah said in her most menacing voice.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't put one in your head."

The woman looked at her with a mixture of shock and pain running through her eyes before she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Because…I love you, Sarah."

Involuntarily, Sarah eased up on the pressure she had been applying to the women's throat and finally noticed that she poised no threat to her at all, she backed away.

"What?" Sarah was confused. She wasn't even sure she heard her correctly.

"Sarah, it's me…Ellie." The woman began to grow more and more confused over Sarah lack of response.

"I'm sorry…but…do I know you?"

"Sarah, what's happened to you?"

Instantly, Sarah understood what she had stumbled onto. "Quick, get in. We need to talk."

"Where are we going?"

"To my hotel."

Sarah started for her car but Ellie hesitated."Ellie," Sarah yelled.

That broke the spell and Ellie ran to Sarah's passenger side of the car and got in.

As Sarah started the car, the two women looked at each other. Sarah had no recollection of ever seeing this woman before in her life, but she recognized that sitting right beside her was probably the key to all the answers she had been seeking.

"Sarah, I just-"

"Stop. Don't say anything else until I've had a chance to check you out."

"Check me out…for what?"

"Bugs, tracking devices, that sort of thing."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Sarah realized that Ellie was not part of the spy world.

Sarah didn't allow anymore talking throughout the rest of the drive. When they finally walked into her hotel room, she went to her mission bag and pulled an instrument from within it. She turned it on and ran it over Ellie's body like the security people at the airport.

Ellie came up clean. Sarah looked her in the eyes, threw the wand on the bed and spoke after deciding what to do. "Who are you? Don't explain; just tell me who you are?"

Ellie's eyes began to tear up. The coldness in Sarah's voice was hurtful to her. "I thought you were dead," she said. Sarah cut her off.

"Just tell me who you are?"

Ellie wiped her eyes. "I'm Chuck's sister…Ellie."

Sarah was quiet for a moment. "And who is Chuck?"

Ellie's expression changed as she realized what Sarah's problem was. "You have amnesia. Were you in an accident? Oh my God, Sarah are you okay?"

"Ellie, who in the hell is Chuck?" Sarah's voice had risen with her frustration.

"Chuck was my brother and the man you were going to marry?

"What?"

"Well, he hadn't asked you yet but it was just a matter of time."

"Sarah, we should get you to a hospital and have you looked at…amnesia is usually only temporary.

"Ellie, listen to me. I don't have amnesia. I work for the CIA and something has been done to make me forgot. How long have you known me?"

"Three years I guess."

The same amount of time that my memory is fuzzy." Sarah took a deep breath and peered into Ellie's eyes hard. "Ellie, right now this is all about me…okay? I need to understand what has happened to make sense of everything."

"Sarah, that bump on the head my have done more damage than just amnesia. Come on, you work for the CIA?"

Sarah let out a sigh of frustration and stood to retrieve her ID from her mission bag. "Look, this my official ID card. I've worked for the CIA from the time a graduated high school."

Ellie's brow wrinkled. It looked real. She looked at Sarah. "I don't understand."

"Ellie, I can only imagine what this is doing to you but imagine what I'm going through. I have this dream about a tall curly headed man with brown eyes. I feel this profound sense of loss but I don't really remember him or anything else that happened to me during my time here." As she looked at Ellie's sad, understanding eyes, she made a decision to play a card that just might turn out to be the cruelest thing she's ever done to a person. But on the other hand, if she was correct, it was the right thing to do. Sarah knew being a spy meant making hard decisions like this.

"Ellie, you said Chuck was your brother. What happened to him?"

"He was killed in a freak accident. You left the next day and I hadn't seen or heard from you since. There was a rumor that you had died out east."

Sarah grabbed Ellie's hand. "Ellie, listen to me. I don't know for sure, but I'm confident that Chuck was involved with the CIA too. I think there's a good chance that his death was staged for some reason. If that's true then I intend to find him."  
Sarah saw that Ellie's mind had gone to mush with that statement. And that she hoped that what Sarah was saying was true but the reasonable person inside her warred at the logic of it all. But as Sarah watched her, she saw Ellie come to some decision.

"What do you need me to do?" Her voice had that quality in it when a person was willing to risk death for what they believe in.

"Good girl. Now look, you never saw me. You tell no one about this. It never happened. Do you understand?"

"I have to tell Devon."

"Who's Devon?"

"My husband."

Sarah thought about it and as she did, she began to shake her head. "I'm sorry Ellie, but your brother's life could depend on this. You can't tell anyone, not even Devon."

Sarah saw that Ellie was torn between doing what she could for her brother and staying true to her husband. Finally, she looked at Sarah with steely eyed determination.

"If it means Chuck's alive and I have to do this to keep him that way…okay. I won't tell anyone."

"That's good, because I've got to tell you that your house is probably bugged. There may even be video feeds. You have to act normally. The chances are good that you are being observed."

Ellie's face took on a look of abject horror. In my own house…you think they're listening."

Sarah continued to bore into Ellie's eyes to prove her point. "I would be. Listen, you have to continue acting, speaking dressing like you have in the past...do you understand. They're very good at noticing changed behavior patterns."

Ellie shivered at the look on Sarah's face but nodded as though she understood. As difficult as it would be for her she would do it.

The two women talked for an additional hour. Sarah got the background on Chuck and his world. She even found out who Morgan was. Sarah felt like she had hit the jackpot with information. The only disappointment was that there was no information about her mission in LA. She would have to get that somewhere else.

Ellie got up to leave and Sarah had a thought. "Ellie, do you have a picture of Chuck?"

Ellie reached into her purse, pulled out her wallet and handed Sarah a picture of of herself and Chuck. She studied it closely. He was definitely the guy in her dream. She teared up and didn't know why. After searching the picture closely she looked up at Ellie from her still seated position.

"Thanks, I'll find him."

When Ellie left, the two women hugged and Sarah was reminded of the time when she hugged Mike. She knew as she watched Ellie leave where that unusual behavior came from.

Sarah made a 6:00 am reservation to fly out of LAX the next morning. She had all the information she needed at this point and to stay here would only increase the chances of her being caught.

The flight back to Gulf Shores was uneventful and by early evening the next day, she was back on her porch smelling the salt air. She had thought about her Englishman but always with a pang of guilt. Ellie said that she and Chuck were in love. But Ellie was not a spy. What Sarah didn't tell her but she knew to be at least a possibility, was that Chuck was a mark or maybe even an asset. In that case, there would have been no real attachment on her part. Maybe on Chuck's but that's just the way the game's played sometimes depending on the situation.

Sarah struggled with the morals of the situation she found herself in. What if she really had been in love with Chuck and she finds him. What if when she finally finds Chuck, she's in love with another man?

Later that night, just when she was getting ready for bed, her cell phone rang. She hadn't expected Chester but couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face when she heard his voice.

"How are you?" she asked, the smile on her face could be heard on the phone.

"I'm fine; I couldn't wait any longer to hear your voice. I think you've put a spell on me or something. How is the trip going?"

"It's over. I'm back home."

"Ah, back home. One of these days you're going to have to tell me where that is."

"I will."

"You will?"

"Just as soon as you tell me where you live."

"You see, the problem with that, love, is that I've got a lot more to loose than you do. I'm the one on the wrong side of the law."

"That's true, but I have my own reasons not to tell you where I live."

"What reason could you possibly have for not telling me where you live?"

"I'm not saying that you are, but if you were looking for me, officially, you know, pretending to be a hacker. Then all you would have to do is get me to tell you where I'm at. Then I'd be the stupidest person on the planet."

"You think I would do that to you?"

Sarah heard the hurt in his voice.

"No, I'm just being cautions."

"I get it, really I do. I have to be the same way."

Sarah heard what he said but thought all the same that he was hurt more than he let on. She understood that night that her Englishman might be an elite hacker who got his kicks out of playing on the wrong side of the law, but when he placed his trust in you, he expected the same in return.

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Sarah took the next week to plan her next move. She had learned a lot from Ellie, but since Ellie was not privy to the real reason why Sarah or Casey would have been in LA, she could provide no details about that aspect of her time there.

Sarah theorized that since Casey's death had been had been within a week of Chuck's, according to Ellie, that Casey like Chuck was alive somewhere. She needed a way to find them.

She also thought it highly probable that the Ring somehow played a part in this whole charade. But it was not clear to her what that role was.

Sarah was at a dead end unless she could find Casey. The only clue she had there was where he had been stationed when he had supposedly died.

But then it dawned on her that she knew a guy who specialized in hacking secure websites. Maybe she could just ask him to find out what he could about a Colonel John Casey and see what he came up with.

Sarah went to sleep that night anticipating her Englishman's call the next night for a number of reasons.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Ouch!!! Reviews from the Charah fundementalists. lol (specifically ones that I don't have a way to respond by PM to)

Look, I'm just writing a little story here. I wanted to write something different from either the angst filled "I love you but I can't be with you" or the Charah "we're moving in together and making love every night" stories. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with either of these kinds of stories. My intent was to create something different. I believe I've done that. It's certainly not anything to write home about as stories go but it is different. Don't tell me what you don't appreciate as a reader and not give me the opportunity to clarify your misconceptions. Or, to tell you you're absolutely right.

Truth is, I've not really prepared this story from an outline standpoint. I've not even put an outline on paper. Believe me, I have no misconceptions about the quality of this story. Just read it and have fun with it. I'm pretty sure the guy gets the girl in the end. lol

Also, if we've talked by PM don't pay any attention to the above. Not meant for you.

One last thing. lol If you like the story my delicate ego could use a little stroking. I'd appreciate knowing that this little attempt at something different is appreciated.

That's my rant for today. :)

Witness Protection

Chapter 8

"So, how is everything going?" Chester asked.

"Fine, you've already asked that."

"You just seem…distracted…on edge. What's wrong?"

"How can you tell how I'm feeling when you've never even seen my face?"

"Come on, love. Give me some credit here. I know you pretty well by now. And I would like to see your face. Any chance of that, soon?"

"Actually, you could help me out and in so doing; maybe allow that meeting to take place one day."

He became guarded. "Sure, if I can, I would do anything for you that doesn't get me put in jail." They both laughed but Sarah was preoccupied with her upcoming request. She wasn't sure if he would do it or not. And, she wasn't sure how she would handle has refusal.

"I need to find this guy. He's most likely an Air Force officer but I don't know his name."

"Aw, come on. I mean, I like to show off, but this is next to impossible."

"There's more to go on I think."

"I'm listening."

Sarah didn't know how to get what she needed without telling Chester. But she didn't know if she could trust him. She wanted to, but she had not really trusted anyone, or at least she couldn't remember trusting anyone since she was a little girl.

There's this guy that died. He was a Colonel in the Air Force. But I think that he didn't really die. I think that he was given another name and assignment. I can tell you when he died, I can tell you his age. I could even send you a copy of his photo if you'd give me an email address."

"Why didn't you say so? What's the name and age? I don't need the photo."

Sarah knew that Chester would not give her the address and that was his way of not going there.

"Colonel John Casey, age 42. Died early November."

"Right. Give me a day or two and I'll let you know. Now enough of that. Tell me about your day."

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"Hey, love. I got that information for you."

Already?"

"Who do you think you're dealing with?"

"I'll let you know after you give me the information."

"Oh ye of little faith."

"I love it when you talk like that. Say something else English."

"Where do you live, I'd like to come knock you up?"

"Very funny."

"What would you say if I said I'd give the information only after I get your address?"

Silence.

"Okay, I was kidding. I've got it right here…you're guy just got transferred to McChord AFB just south of Seattle. His name is John Green, he's a lieutenant."

"What's the address?"

"327 Meridian. The town is called Edgewood."

Thanks, Chester. I've got to go. But I owe you one."

"Sally, if I could make it to Seattle, do you think you could stay for a couple of days?"

"Not now, Chester. I need to finish this up. If I do, we will meet."

"Then go get em. Call me when you get back."

"I will, I promise."

Sarah made travel arrangement and was on her way to Seattle International Airport the next day.

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"They did what?" Director Kemmet shouted.

"We just found out about it. We're trying find out who gave the order."

"Goddamnit, McChord is thirty miles from Seattle. I don't want them in the same state let alone the same county. We can't afford for them to meet. We don't know how they will respond to that."

"We've asked that Lieutenant Green be kept on base and not given access to leave. But you know how military red tape is. I'm not sure if they caught him in time. I should know any minute now."

"I don't want Green anywhere near Seattle. If Bartowski and Casey run into each other on the street, it could be newsworthy."

"He lives off base in a little two bedroom house. I have a couple of the locals going to retrieve him if he's already left the base.

"Get him back to the base. Someone is going to have a boot up there ass over this."

"And what about Walker? Has there been any other hits on phone surveillance?"

"None Sir, we didn't get a trace on the one hit we had so we're just listening for key words. Our tech guys think she knew we were on to her. If that's true, then we won't catch her that way."

The Director sighed. "Very well, keep looking for her. This Goddamn project couldn't have gone worse if the Ring had designed it themselves." He watched the project lead leave for the door and then had an afterthought.

"Oh, and get Kelly back here. The Med team think they've got some information about Bartowski that we need her to check out. Our man on site hasn't really been able to get close enough to him outside of work. We're hoping that Kelly can get a peek at his private life."

"Very well, Sir."

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Lieutenant Green walked through the front door of his home after a long day at work. He never had thought of himself as the pencil pushing type but that's the way his career had turned out.

He threw his car keys in the wooden bowl he kept on the table by the front door and walked towards the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a Coors. He popped the top and took a long guzzle, before turning around to get in his favorite chair and turn on the TV.

As he walked into the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting in his favorite chair was a gorgeous blonde eyeing him seriously while pointing a thirty eight caliber automatic right at his chest.

"Are you John Green?" she said.

"Look, if you're looking for money, boy have you come to the wrong house."

"Sit down," she said, motioning with her gun to the couch across from her.

Green didn't look like he wanted to comply until the blonde cocked the weapon with practiced precision. He got the subtle message she was sending him and sat down.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to talk with you for an hour. Then I'll leave."

"That's it! You just want to talk. Lady, I don't know what your game is but"-

"You ever hear the name John Casey before?" Sarah recognized the man before her as the man she had had the argument with in the CIA conference room.

"No, should I?"

"What about your memory? Does it seem a little fuzzy for the last three years?"

He started to stand until she refocused the weapon at him. "I don't know what your game is, but I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong guy."

Sarah laughed because she had the memory of herself shoving him in the back as he started to leave. She briefly wondered again what that was about. It gave her hope that she was on the right track. It gave her courage to just be honest.

"I am a CIA agent." She threw him her ID badge. "I believe my memory has been altered and the last three years have been tampered with. I believe you and I were partners and we worked with a third man named Chuck. Does any of that ring a bell?"

His first thought was to call for the medics. But then he took the time to look at her ID. He'd seen CIA ID's before, although he couldn't remember where, but this one looked legit.

Suddenly, taking her a little more seriously. "Okay, yeah, I've had some issues with my memory. But I drink a lot. Goes with the territory."

"Well I don't drink a lot and I'm having these dreams-"

"Dreams! What kind of dreams?"

"Mostly about this guy. Here," she said and pitch the picture of Chuck that Ellie had given her. She pitched it like you would a playing card and it landed perfectly on the Lieutenant's lap.

"Does he look familiar?"

Casey didn't answer right away. But he did look uncomfortable. It was enough to let Sarah know that Chuck's picture did remind him of something. "Look John, I don't know what they did to us, but I intend to find out. I could use a partner here. And if I'm right, an old partner. What do you say? Up for a mission?"

Just as she said the word mission, he had a flash of memory. He saw himself and this lady talking to another officer on a TV screen in some kind of control room. And the guy in the picture was there too. He looked at her and almost remembered something else. It was so close to surface and yet, he couldn't quite bring it up. Just as he stopped trying, it came to mind.

"You and that guy in the picture were doing the big nasty long term weren't you?"

Sarah frowned at him. "Why would you say that? Do you remember anything about us?"

"Yeah, I think so." He was interrupted by a police car pulling up out in front of his house and slamming on the brakes.

They both stood in unison.

"John, remember this number. When you get a chance call me. I've got the feeling that you're being taking away."

The officers knocked on the door and John Green went to answer it.

"John, don't tell them about me," Sarah said and then watched his expression show hurt.

"Partners don't betray one another," he said and opened the door. "Hello officers, can I help you?"

"We have instructions to take you to McChord."

"Why didn't they send MP's?"

"We don't know Lieutenant; we're just doing what we're asked to do."

John gave a quick little smile to the blonde hiding in his living room out of sight from the officers but so she could still see him. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Let me get my wallet, it has my ID." He grabbed his wallet and left without looking back to Sarah.

She watched the police officers leave with her lead with a strong sense of exasperation. "Shit," she said, as she watched the car disappear. She had been this close. _He remembered Chuck and I having an intimate relationship_, she thought. Now the best thing she could hope for is that he would call her when he was able. What was he going to tell her about Chuck and herself? Trying to calm herself down after being so close to more answers, she went to the refrigerator and grabbed one of Casey's beers. She knew she could not leave him a note as tempting as that was. No, she would have to wait for him to contact her.

She found it unusual that she did not for a second fear that he would not call. She saw in his eyes the same need for answers that she had. She realized also that the brief time with Casey had seemed to give her some of her memory back. It was hazy but she saw herself and Chuck sitting with Ellie and another man. A man she now remembered as Devon. Feeling as though she was close to the truth, she left Casey's house and headed back to the airport.

All she could do now was go back to Gulf Shores and wait for his call. As she sped away from Casey's house, she wondered briefly how close she might be to Chester. She was tempted but for only a second, to call him a set up a meeting. But then she realized she needed to finish what she was doing before she thought about something else. The piece that was still missing, the piece that she still needed to know…was her relationship with Chuck real or not.

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"The new model agrees with Dr. Reynolds' early warning that the subject may have some latent memory available for recall. The model predicts that in that scenario, we could see a certain kind of anti-social behavior crop up as a means of dealing with the frustration of understanding what has happened on a subconscious level. But he would not be able to act upon that knowledge consciously," Director Kemmet said.

"And you want me to do what?" Kelly asked as though she wasn't going to like the answer.

"We want you to go to his house and check it out. If you have to break in then do it, but we would rather you get invited. I understand that his house is just a step below Ft. Knox in security systems."

"Still, if it's all the same to you, Sir, I would prefer the break in approach."

"Nonsense, Meyer. Use your position as a customer to have dinner with him. Take the opportunity to look around the house. If it's clean then we are worrying for nothing."

Kelly just nodded but the expression on her face told the story about how she felt about spending more time with Chad Brown.

"What do I do if I find something?"

"Just let me know. We'll take care of it from our end."

"You know it would help if I knew who this guy was."

"Its need to know. Just find out if he's operator a dog fighting ring, or even getting his cable illegally. You understand?"

"I want to go on record as stating contrary to what others around here have said about Sarah Walker. And that is there is no way that she and this Chad Brown ever had anything going."

"You've made that clear, Kelly."

"It's just that Sarah's not here to defend herself."

"No one is attacking her."

"Sure seems like it to me."

"It's duly noted. But we need this information and our man on site hasn't been able to get an invite over."

"You'll get it, I guarantee but I expect that promotion after this assignment."

"It's odd that you protest as much as you do. I don't recall Walker ever having the same issues."

"Walker's the best there is. She probably had to gargle every time she had to kiss the dweeb. But she would never complain. I doubt if another agent in the same room with them would know how she really felt. I've seen her in action. She's that good."

"Good to hear. Now, you better get back to Seattle."

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Sarah was jittery. She began to get the feeling that it was time to move on. And, she was frustrated by how close she had come to finding out about the true nature of her relationship to Chuck. Was it real or not?

She also felt as though she was at a crossroads in terms of continuing her telephone relationship with Chester.

There was something about him that intrigued her, pulled at her even. But, if what she had with Chuck was real…?

But if it was not real, then what?

Sarah's thoughts swung back and forth in this manner. What she didn't know at the time was that her indecision was a direct result of the effects of her memory altering procedure growing weaker with each hour.

The more that she pictured her meeting with John Casey, the more tidbits from the past she was starting to recall. But the tidbits were random and as of yet, not much help in aiding her in the decision between the two men.

She recalled numerous get-togethers with Ellie and Devon. But since Ellie had not been aware of Sarah's real job, those images could easily be fake.

So on this late Friday night, sitting on her back porch looking at the ocean as she thought about what she really knew about the assignment, she concluded that it was fake.

If she had had an intimate relationship with Chuck, it most likely was to keep him in line. She probably did "like" the guy and didn't want him to get hurt. She could see herself doing that. But fall in love with an asset?

She had waffled back and forth on this issue. The night before she was ready to call Chester and tell him not to call again. She would have thrown her phone away but she needed it so Casey could contact her.

That was the turmoil she found herself into. It was not her fault. She had been drugged in a very powerful and new way and this was her mind's reaction from coming "off" the drug.

But Chester called this particular Friday night. A night where Sarah was sure her relationship with Chuck was fake. He must have sensed a subtle change in her and became just a little more aggressive than normal.

"Hey, love. How are you tonight?"

"Good, I've missed your voice."

"Sorry, I've been working."

"Anything noteworthy?"

"Not really. But I've missed talking with you too."

"I thought maybe you forgot about me down here." Sarah knew the minute the words left her lips, that she had made a mistake. She knew even more so by the silence on the other end.

"Down there, huh. You're slipping, love. Are you sure you're okay?"

Sarah did not respond. She wondered if she really did want him to find her and that was just a subconscious desire manifesting itself through her slip of the tongue.

"Actually, that's why I called. I'm going to Seattle the end of next month. I want to see you."

"I…don't know, Chester."

"Tell you what, meet me in Seattle and I will tell you my real name. Then you won't have to call me Chester anymore."

"I like Chester."

"Fine, meet me in Seattle and call me Chester or anything else you want to call me. Just say you will come?"

Sarah hesitated too long before answering.

"Sally, meet me." His voice was soft, and earnest but demanding in a non-threatening way.

She sighed. "When?"

"March, 30th. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It's on Pine down by the theater."

"Yeah, I know where it is."

"Really! You know Seattle pretty well?"

"Been there more than once."

"Soon as I hang up, I'm calling and making 8:00 p.m. reservation under the name of…John Casey. That ought to be safe since he's considered dead," he said with a chuckle. "It's a date then."

Sarah smiled despite her misgivings. "It's a date."

"I'm quitting whilst I'm ahead. I've got reservations to make. See you soon."

"You better not be some overweight, bald guy with bad hygiene."

"Ditto, love."

Sarah disconnected the line and her phone immediately began to ring.

"Hello," she said, guardedly.

"Walker, it's Casey. We've got to meet. Tell me you're still off the grid?"


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: First let me say that the twist of the story in this chapter took me by surprise like I imagine it will take you. But I hope you agree with me that it is a good chapter. I anticipate hearing from you with some anxiety.

Let me say that I wil probably be posting every other day as I need more time to develop this story as the confluence of storylines makes for a more complicated effort.

Thank you for the reviews.

Witness Protection

Chapter 9

Sarah heard his voice and could hear the difference between the man now speaking to her and the man she saw in Washington State. Her mind attempted to wrap itself around the difference in his demeanor when he snapped her out of it.

"Goddamnit Walker, did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you, I'm just …where do you want to meet?" she asked, realizing there was no place to go with her original thought. As she waited for his response, in the flicker of an eye, she saw the fight that she had with him in the CIA conference room.

And then immediately she flashed on a new memory of the four of them in the CIA conference room. Only now, he was not the angry argumentative man he had been, he was a broken man. He had not been gone no more than five minutes when he walked back in. The difference was that he was all agreeable to the plan. Sarah recalled looking at him with some worry not knowing what could have caused such a change in his behavior.

She couldn't recall exactly what she had been advocating that he had been adamantly apposed to, but now he said he would do it. _Do what_, she thought as her fragmented memory continued to torment and frustrate her. But that piece never came back to her, at least not now. It was a matter of time before it all came back but the sifting through the bits and pieces was frustrating.

In her mind's eye, John Casey got up from the table and left the room, leaving a piece of paper lying on the conference room table. Sarah picked it up and looked at it. It was a communiqué from French Intelligence. As soon as she began to read, she understood why he had changed his mind.

Ilsa was dead.

She understood why he agreed to the procedure now. What better way to forget about the pain. Have it erased. That's when she realized that this had been her idea. Or, if not her idea, at least she was agreeable to it. She was brought back to the now by her partner.

"Somewhere remote," he said. "I had one hell of a time getting out of McChord with my skin on my back."

"Come down here, I've got a good setup for now." Sarah said it before she thought. Did she trust him? Suddenly, she was filled with doubt. She wanted to trust him, but it was difficult for her.

"Where are you at?"

Sarah took a deep breath and thought that she must have trusted him to spend three years with him.

"Gulf Shores, Alabama. Ask for Sally at the Deli, everyone knows where I live."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there in a couple of days." The phone went dead without him saying goodbye. Somehow Sarah thought that that must be the way he was.

She settled in and waited for John Casey to arrive. She had mixed feelings. First, she was anxious to learn what she could about her relationship with Chuck and the rest of her life for three years. But she was nervous about working with another person. She had gotten used to being alone. Would she and John Casey be able to work together. _Sure we can, we did it for three years_, she thought.

She wished she could talk with Chester, she enjoyed the respite her banter with him gave her. But she sighed deeply as she remembered that he was out of touch as he called it. He wouldn't be available until the weekend so she was just going to have to make do being alone.

So she had two days until her old partner showed up at her door. There was not much she could do at this point anyway. No preparations needed to be completed. No detailed planning needed executing. She just had to wait.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

Sarah learned something about herself in those two days that she did not know. She didn't like to be alone with herself. It made her uncomfortable when she had no distractions to keep her mind from wondering where it wanted to go. To keep the internal dialogue that played like a broken record. A record that she kept the volume so low with the distractions of her life as a spy, that she didn't notice the topic of conversation. But those distractions were gone.

To drown out that dialogue she turned on the TV for the first time since she had arrived. She surfed through the channels once and then twice not finding anything that interested her. She threw the remote at the other end of the couch and threw herself on it as well.

She started listening to the dialogue as she lay with her head slightly hanging off to the side.

_Why_ _would I be in favor of this drastic action to protect Chuck? What does that say about the circumstances_, she thought.

She fought the obvious answer but her mind came up with it just the same. _It suggests that I had fallen for him and that I was willing to do anything to protect him…even erase part of my memory, memories of him_. _That had to be it. It all made sense. She was in love with him and for some reason, they could no longer protect him. So they went to the ultimate witness protection program. Not only assuming new identities in Chuck's and Casey's case but removing their memories at least in Casey's case, _she thought it was more likely for Chuck as well_. _

_That had to be it,_ she thought and smiled. Finally, this constant ache that she felt could be explained. It felt good for her to understand. It felt good to know that she could love another. But her euphoria was short lived. Because another fragment of her memory picked this exact time to return.

She sees herself and Chuck sitting at a fountain. He has a very serious expression on his face.

"I want a normal relationship, Sarah. And we both know that Sarah Walker will never be normal," he says.

_He dumped me?_ She thought. _We had something that could have been special and he gave up on us. _

She went from euphoric to devastated in that moment between thoughts. Now she truly understood the nature of the ache she had been feeling in her chest. She hadn't lost him at the airport…she lost him at the fountain.

As she thought about it, a soft truncated sob escaped from the deepest part of her emotions, from the very place where her ache had lived. She tried not to allow another one from escaping and she was successful only by holding her breath. But like workers struggling valiantly to hold the swollen and rising river within the levee, once the water passes the zenith of the dike, the floodgates are opened. So it was with Sarah Walker.

She cried hard, racking sobs of anguish as the water poured over the earth and she realized why she must have agreed to the procedure as well. Her and Casey, what a pair having their memories altered to escape the torments of lost love. _What a fine pair of spies we are._

She cried for so long that her ribs began to hurt with each dramatic intake of air, and then again, with the exertion of her sorrow.

She had no sense of time as she lay on the couch having cried all that she could cry. Her mind was too numb that the dialogue she had been forced to listen to was now silent.

She watched the ceiling as she lay on her back on the couch. But she didn't see the ceiling, she didn't hear the TV as it continued to play and she hadn't felt the damp t- shirt she wore. Damp from tears.

It was in this cocoon. This environment of isolation that she heard the words to a song as it played on the TV. Something about them drew her attention from where it had been to the object she had dismissed not that long ago.

She had to force her mind to recognize the meaning of the words.

_I don't want to wait in vain for your love._

_I don't want to wait in vain for your love. _

_I don't want to wait in vain for your love. _

She sat up and began to watch the show. She had digital cable so she was able to rewind the show from its beginning and watched it with interest.

As far as she knew, on this day in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Sarah Walker watched from beginning to end, her first romantic comedy. As the story unfolded, she found herself able to identify with the two leads. The idea was that for every person there was that one perfect person in the world for you. A "soul mate" if you will. And for a lucky few, some are destined to be with each other, even if they tempt fate.

After Sarah watched the movie, Serendipity, she began to wonder about soul mates, and destiny and love. Things she rarely allowed herself to consider. Part of that internal dialogue that she kept in the background.

Obviously, Chuck was not her soul mate. The thought made her sad. She had pieced enough of her broken past together to know that she had been in love with Chuck. That was now painfully clear.

But just like the male lead in the movie, when he thought he had lost his soul mate, all he could do was go on. That's what she had to do…go on. Take one step and then another until before she knew it, she was walking again without trying.

_That's where I am right now. Learning how to walk all over again_. She would walk until her ache was gone.

Sarah was reminded of the lyrics to the song.

_I don't want to wait in vain for your love._

That's what she had been doing. Waiting in vain for Chuck because if the truth were known, he probably didn't even know Sarah Walker existed.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself against the decision she knew she had to make. With no illusions about the difficulty of what lay before her, she mentally began to think of Chuck as someone that she used to love. She had no idea how long it would take until her heart agreed. But she knew that until she took this step, her heart would be waiting in vain for Chuck's love.

So Sarah waited for Casey to knock on her door. In one respect, the two days seemed like a lifetime as Sarah finally tuned into her thoughts, her internal dialogue. She learned some things about herself. Some good, some not so good. But things that needed to be known. And as she learned these things she began to deal with them. To grow…to mature.

So when Walker opened the door after hearing Casey's knock, she watched as his expression twisted into a sardonic smile.

"Well Walker, are you ready to find your boy toy?"

"Only if he needs to be found." She didn't react to his terminology.

Casey saw the difference in her and recognized her pain from the familiarity of it. But there was another question that needed to be asked because he struggled with the answer himself. "And what about Sarah Walker…is she ready to be found?"

She smiled and stood out of the way so he could enter. "I think so," she said and closed the door.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry about falling off the face of the earth. Not been a good month so far. I hope this chapter reads okay. I know it's short but I thougt a short chapter was better than no chapter. Let me know if you like it.

Witness Protection

Chapter 10

"Very nice," Kelly said as she walked into Chad's house. "You must have paid a fortune for the location alone." She looked back at the lagoon that flowed into the Pacific.

"Yeah," he said, without looking at her.

"Put your stuff over there. We can go into the study and go over the schematics and the potential upgrades after we eat. I thought I'd call in a pizza," he said. He walked across beautifully stained wooden floors and the casual décor of the home. Kelly was actual impressed even though she still didn't like the guy.

"Sounds good. Listen, I'm sorry I pushed to have the meeting at your house but we had been having too many dinners out talking over the latest proposal. I just thought we would be more comfortable this way."

"Yeah, that's fine. I just try to keep my home separate from my work."

"I did notice an odd vibe coming from your office manager. What's her name, Wendy? Are you two…?

"What?" Chad turned around and looked at her. No, no we just work together."

"Seemed a little more than just work to me, judging by her reaction to my coming to your home tonight."

"Wendy's just an employee."

Kelly looked around before asking her next question. "Aren't you gonna give me the fifty cent tour?"

"The what?"

"You know. Tour of the house."

"Oh, sure," he said with little emotion.

_He isn't even trying to be a good host_, she thought.

"Here's the kitchen…and the breakfast area over there. My office is just off the study."

"Very nice."

"If you follow me… down here are the bedrooms."

"Oh, who decorated for you?"

"I did…why?"

"I'm impressed. Most single guys wouldn't care about the décor let alone the color scheme. This is nice, Chad…very masculine."

"Thanks."

Kelly looked at him and smiled. "Are you sure you haven't had any help?"

"I don't understand."

"You know. A girlfriend helping out here and there. That sort of thing."

"My girlfriend died."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chad. I didn't know," she said and watched him turn and go back towards the kitchen. Along the way, she noticed one door that he had not bothered to show her.

"What's in here?" Kelly was sure she would find something of interest.

Chad turned to look at what she was referring to but before he could even answer, she had the door open.

"That's the storage room," he finally said.

"Uh, yeah, sorry, she said, closing the door. "That's what I call a storage room," she said with a laugh.

"Told ya."

On the way back to the kitchen, Kelly was at a loss. "That's it. That's your whole house?"

"Unless you want to see the garage?"

"No, that's okay. We have work to do anyway." _I guess Mr. Brown here is being a good little boy afterall. I'll let Kemmet know tomorrow. At least he can stopped worrying about this guy_, she thought. _How in the world anyone thought this guy could ever interest Sarah is beyond me_, she continued her thinking. But then she frowned as she remembered what he had said about his girlfriend earlier. It made her wonder.

Sitting down at the table next to him., she smiled as disarmingly as she knew how. "What was your girlfriend's name?" she asked.

"Sara." He did not elaborate.

Kelly hoped her intake of breath did not give her away. She looked at Chad who seemed totally oblivious to her or anything she did.

"How did she die?"

Chad stopped fumbling through the stack of papers he was rifling through and looked at her directly.

She could not read his expression. It could have been anger or just plain detachment. But then she saw his eyes flash for only an instant and she knew he was angry. _Was he trying to hide his emotions? If so, what else was he trying to hide? _

"It was an accident. She was always so careful but on that particular day in that particular intersection…she just wasn't paying attention." He trailed off as if he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Chad," Kelly said, looking around. "I don't see any pictures. Do you have any?"

"Yeah, in the TV room on the mantle. There's a couple."

Kelly asked permission with her eyes and waited until Chad nodded his head before she got up to look. She was curious as to what she would find. Most likely some CIA operative and CIA computer magic and it would seem like they had been a real couple.

But even from a distance, she recognized the blonde in the pictures. Sarah Walker had never looked happier.

Kelly walked over and picked up one picture in particular that had caught her eye. She had known Sarah for many years. She had worked with her and had played with her and she knew the expressions that Sarah used when she worked and when she played, when things were real and when they were not. Kelly knew that Sarah never mixed the two. That's why when she looked at the smiling face of Sarah Walker, relaxed and clearly enjoying being in Chad's arm's, Kelly knew that there was more to Sarah and Chad than she first believed possible. It was disturbing in a way. She looked past the picture she held in her hand to the man sitting at the table and wondered what had happened between the two and why would they go to such extraordinary length to protect his identity.

She noticed another picture of Chad with his arm around Sarah's shoulder and her arm around his waist. They seemed natural together. Like they belonged. It suddenly dawned on her that she had some real evidence in her hands. If these pictures were real, she could have them analyzed and get the location. Then, she could find out who this Chad had been.

She looked one more time at the guy in the picture. His easy going smile and relaxed attitude were nowhere to be found on the man she looked at now.

_He is a shell of his former self. _It almost made her feel sorry for him. But she quickly put those feeling behind her as she walked back to him.

"I'm truly sorry, Chad. You made a good looking couple."

He smiled in response and the two went about finalizing the plans they had been working on for almost two weeks now.

When the pizza arrived they ate and drank beer and then finished up. All in all, it took about two and a half hours. During this time, when Chad went to the bathroom, Kelly, photographed all of the pictures on his mantle. She would have them analyzed and do a little research on her own.

_It will only help me find out where Sarah might be_, she told herself.

* * *

Although she didn't realize it, Sarah held her breath as walked to the door. She had been expecting Casey for about thirty minutes now. When she pulled the door back and saw his face, she experienced a plethora of feelings. In just a few seconds, she went through the full range of human emotion, finally settling on relief. She was relieved that she had a partner to work with and rely on. She needed the support and frankly she needed to know what he knew. And when he had asked her if she was ready to find herself all she could do was look at him.

"Are you going to stand there looking all giddy or are you going to let me in," he said in a gruff voice that seemed both familiar and yet strange at the same time.

Sarah moved out of his way and let him in the house. As he moved past her she had a flash of memory flow through her mind like wind through flowers. It was gone in an instant, vague, but memorable.

Sarah saw herself and Casey fighting in some kind of fast food restaurant and she could tell it was a real fight. It made her wary instantly of the man standing right in front of her.

Before she could say anything, she had another memory. This one was even more ominous. She appeared to be standing on a rooftop pointing her gun at Casey. He was pointing one back at her…and Chuck was there.

And then it was over.

Sarah tried not to let her concern show as she casually moved over to where she had a gun. She didn't want to be in a position of only having a knife if she got into a gunfight.

"What's wrong, Walker? You look like you're ready to run again."

Sarah smiled. "You have me at a disadvantage, Casey."

His head jerked towards her. "You still don't have all your memories?"

She only shook her head in response.

"Shit."

"And you?"

"Yeah, seeing you last week did it for me."

She took a deep breath and decided that trust him or not, he was her best bet to regain her memory and to understand what this ache in her chest was all about. Still in the back of her mind she knew that he was a dangerous man. She walked back to her couch and flopped down on it.

"How did you escape?" she said without looking at him, and hoping she could trust her instincts and not her broken memory.

Casey grunted. "As good as our honorable men in uniform are at most things, they're not equipped to deal with a spy," he said not elaborating.

Sarah nodded her head. That was something she understood only too well from before her memory was tampered with.

"I was hoping you could fill in some of the blanks," she said feeling a little too reliant upon him.

"Yeah, you're going to need to understand what's going on to be effective."

Sarah directed her most serious gaze at him. "And what is going on?"

Casey sat down on the couch opposite of her and leaned back. He was hit with a tinge of sadness suddenly. He looked at Sarah and almost envied her for a moment as he realized she didn't remember any of the pain of the last three years.

Casey's pain was short in coming but he was afraid it would take him a long time now that he could remember Ilsa again. He would like to forget about the hurt he felt in his own heart.

"For you, this is about what it's always been about from the beginning of this mission."

"And what's that?" Sarah voice was husky from frustration.

"Chuck." Casey looked at her with such intensity. "Chuck is what it's been about practically since you first met him."

"Is Chuck our asset?" she said and was afraid of his answer.

"That's how he started out." John pulled a cigar out of his shirt pocket. "Do you mind?"

Sarah shook her head.

"He is…special."

"Special, how?"

"He's the intersect."

"Intersect?"

Casey looked at her hard. "You have lost a lot."

"Casey, what is the fucking intersect?"

Casey chuckled and then became serious. He started at the beginning sometimes stopping to answer questions. He was as thorough as he could be. It took about thirty minutes to get from that roof top in LA to the two of them sitting on the couch in Gulf Shores. When he finished he waited for her response.

"So I did fall for an asset?"

"You sound surprised."

"I am surprised and frankly a little disappointed in myself."

"Ah," he said scrutinizing her closely. "So this is Sarah Walker prior to meeting Chuck Bartowski."

"I don't appreciate your tone or your smug face for that matter."

Casey became serious. "Look, Walker. I can tell you what's going on here. I've dealt with it myself, prior to regaining all of my memory."

Sarah waited for him to continue.

"You," he said pointing at her. "Are the Sarah Walker that existed prior to meeting Bartowski, up there." He point to her head. "The only problem is your heart doesn't have amnesia. So your mind and your heart are not in agreement."

Sarah did not argue. What he said made sense. Moreover it felt right. "So, how do I get them in sync?"

Casey thought for a second. "In your case…I'm not sure you do. We have to find Bartowski. If our memories are coming back maybe his will too. We don't want him running around without anyone to protect him."

"What do you mean, in my case?"

"What I mean is that maybe just spending some time with him will do the trick or, in your current state of mind, maybe you decide to correct the mistake you made and leave him like you should have done when you first realized what was happening."

"And the ache in my heart?" She sat with her legs pulled up close to her chest and could not look at him after uttering those words.

"It'll disappear over time."

She caught his gaze. "You sure about that?"

Casey looked away not liking the direction the conversation had turned. "Look, I've got an idea on where we start searching for him."

"Why do we even bother? Maybe he's better off without us."

Casey watched her closely at that. He realized that this Sarah Walker was a bit of an unknown factor. The Sarah Walker he knew would have never uttered those words. He decided that she didn't really mean them. Probably venting frustration that she felt for not being there with him. Nevertheless, he stored in the back of his mind that her internal struggle about falling for an asset might be more than he realized.

"Walker, wherever he is, his heart is just like yours. It remembers and I can tell you he had it bad for you." Casey glanced at her for just an instant. "Besides, we owe it to him to find out for sure how he's doing. He was our partner."

"Okay, where do we start?"

"Judging by the knee jerk reaction the military is famous for when a mistake is made, I would say somewhere close to where you found me. I can tell you that it was a mistake that I got assigned to McChord."

"Well, that's a start. It's still a lot of ground to cover," she said but still felt relieved.

"Chuck was a city boy. I'm pretty sure they will want him to be comfortable I suggest we look in the cities. Seattle first and we will go from there."

"Sounds logical. When do we start?"

"As soon as your packed."

"Then let's go. I've been packed for two days now."

Casey walked to the door without further word. Sarah went into her bedroom and emerged with two mission bags. She followed him out the door making sure to lock it behind her. She knew she was leaving for good. She had talked with the landlord the night before. As she got into Casey's car, she looked at the little house that had been her home for a number of weeks now, she thought about the nights looking out over the Gulf.

As the car sped away, she looked back one more time. _I'll miss those nights_, she thought and turned her attention to what lay ahead of her.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Things are heating up. We are heading toward the end now. Hopefully I will tie up all lose ends along the way. **

Witness Protection

Chapter 11

"Sir, the place was empty."

Director Kemmet squeezed the sheet of paper he held in his hand into a ball and threw it into the waste can in complete frustration. "Any leads on where she went?"

"No sir, but our people on the scene have one report of her and a man driving off in an older government issue Ford."

"You think it's Casey?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Might be a coincidence, but if I had to guess…its Casey."

"You know it's going to be even harder to catch them now. The only hope we have is to saturate Bartowski with agents. I want to know when he takes a shit. I want to know when they show up to talk with him. Is the cover story for him in place?"

"Our men are in place and they believe he is an asset of some minor importance and that they are really looking for a couple of government agents that will try to make contact with him. When they spot them, they are to call in for instructions," he said. "And, we've heard from Kelly. She got a look inside his house and reports there is nothing of interest there."

"Thank God for that! At least Bartowski's procedure is holding up."

"Kelly expressed surprise that we used actual pictures of Sarah and him together. But I think that turned out to be a good call on the Medical Unit's part. Having a picture of anyone else would have only disturbed him on some level. This way it appears that he has accepted the fact that his girlfriend is dead and he is moving on…to some degree."

"What I don't understand is why Casey hasn't brought Walker in with him. If he has all his memory back, why is he still running?" Kemmet asked.

Maybe he doesn't have it all back or maybe he's got some misinformation or maybe they just want to make sure their asset is okay before coming back in…I don't know for sure, Sir."

"Pull Kelly out of there. We don't need her nosing around up there. The less she and anyone else knows about this operation, the safer Bartowski is. That's the whole point of this, isn't it?" Kemmet said.

"Yes, Sir. I'll get her on her way today." The project director started for the door.

"Steve, wait a minute." Kemmet waited for him to return. "Why aren't they coming in?"

"I'm sorry."

"Think about it. Casey and Walker would run through a brick wall to protect Bartowski. You've read the psych reports on them. They must know the safest thing to do is come in. They're vulnerable on the outside by themselves."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But I don't know why?"

"Figure it out. If they know something we don't - we need to understand it… help them with it." He turned his back as he continued to think. "If they make it to Seattle and we can bring them in, we will, but in the meantime have your guys working on why they aren't coming in on their own."

"You got it, Boss." The younger man left in a hurry.

* * *

Chad Brown hated Sundays. Sara died on a Sunday. His business was closed on Sundays not that that stopped him from working. But he just couldn't stop thinking about her on Sunday.

His memories began to play tricks on him more on Sundays too. It concerned him because he would see events that had never happened. She was always in the memory but it seemed that she was not the elementary school teacher that he knew. In the brief flashes of memory that he had experienced, she seemed like a much more forceful person than his Sara.

He missed her. God, how he missed. It was like she was still living in his neurons, moving around in the synapses of his brain, always calling to him, asking for him to join her, not in death but life.

And then there was Kathy Winslow. He had no idea why, but he didn't trust her. He was sure that she didn't like him either but he really couldn't pinpoint why he felt that way. He thought she had a bit of a cruel streak because she always found a way to make sure Wendy knew when they were working together. He didn't know why, but he had Kathy pegged as a person only out for Kathy Winslow, everyone else be damned.

But what tore at him above anything else was the fact that he had started talking to this woman over the phone when he was working. He had had a number of conversations with her and it always felt like he was cheating on Sara in one way but it felt so right in another. It was confusing.

It was just after one of these phone calls when he had another of his mystery memories where Sara actually talked to him about fate. She said that if something was meant to be then it would be and nothing could change that. She asked him if he agreed and he told her he did. He didn't know what had triggered that memory.

So, as much as he enjoyed the conversation that he shared with this woman of mystery and potential threat, he had decided that he would back away. He would not call her again and when she called him, he would politely discourage whatever it was that they had developed.

He just wasn't ready to leave Sara.

Chad finished reading the paper, went to get his shower and got dressed. He walked into his junk room as he called it, thinking about going into his secret study that he had constructed but decided against it. Instead, he walked into the TV room and turned on the TV, more for the noise than anything else. He sat down and started surfing the channels looking for something to watch, but his eye automatically drifted over to the pictures of her.

As he sat there looking at the few items he had of her, he became aware of the tightness in his chest. Always a precursor to a new memory. He had difficulty swallowing as he allowed himself to feel the pain that he felt from their separation.

Suddenly, he had another one of those disturbing memories that he could not explain. He and Sara were in some seedy motel and were kissing. It seemed raw with emotion. He could actually feel his desire for her, wanting her for the first time.

But they had met and dated about five times before they had sex. And he would never have taken her to a motel like that.

Yet, he could still see the scene play out in his mind…clear as if he was watching it on TV. That was definitely him and that was definitely Sara. And that was definitely not the kind of place he would take any woman to impress her.

_I'm losing my mind. That's the only explanation that makes sense_, he thought.

His thoughts started spiraling downward from there when the ringing of his phone saved him. He looked at it and his brow drew down in anxiety as he saw who had called.

"Hello."

"Yes, Wendy, Why are you calling on a Sunday?"

"I don't think that's a good-"

"Okay, sure. I'll see you then." He hung up the phone, got up and started to pace the floor. _What in the world had gotten into her_, he thought? _She was certainly upset._

Chad walked into the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee. Something in the tone of Wendy's voice told him this was going to be a long morning. He realized that for some reason she liked him but he tried to tell her that he had nothing to give. Until Kathy came along, she had accepted the status quo.

He dreaded her coming over because he was pretty sure he knew what the topic of discussion was going to be. He felt sorry for her. He was pretty sure she had fallen in love with him. And he knew that he could not return that love.

_That poisonous bitch Winslow is behind this_, he thought. But then he returned to thinking about Wendy.

_It must be awful loving someone that cannot return that love_, he thought.

And just as if the thought triggered the memory, he saw a scene between him and Sara where he asked her if they had any chance at a relationship and she told him no.

It hit him like a punch in the gut. He stood there feeling the sting of the rejection. The look on her face was so detached. It hurt to see it play out in his mind.

_What is happening to me_? He thought. _Sara never told me that._

After putting the coffee on, he made a glass of ice water and went back to the TV room to wait for Wendy. He had felt this way before but this time it seemed more intense. But he was confident that it would play itself out in a while. It always had in the past.

The scenes playing in his head were so clear it almost seemed like he was watching a movie. After about ten minutes though, he started to feel it ease and he started to feel somewhat normal again.

He took another sip of water when the doorbell rang. He got up and walked to the front door and opened it.

There was Wendy standing outside and he saw she was most definitely upset.

"Hey Wendy come in. Is everything alright?" He led her into the kitchen where he poured her a cup of coffee. He noticed that she had tears in her eyes but said nothing. Sara would have hated for him to comment on that.

"No, Chad, everything is not alright." She sat where he indicated and waited for him to return with the coffee.

After handing her the coffee, he sat down and looked at her seriously. "What's this about, Wendy?" Even though he was pretty sure what it was about.

"Chad, I've waited for you to get over Sara. I've done what you asked. I backed off and I've left you alone. Because you asked me to. But while I've been doing what you asked, Kathy Winslow has stepped in and I guess you two are dating now. Right?"

"Wrong, where did you get that idea?"

"Kathy."

"She said we were dating?" he said, not believing she would stoop so low.

"No, not exactly. But it was the way she said it and what she didn't say. I know you invited her to your house. And you don't do that with anyone."

"I didn't invite her. She invited herself. We just worked on the project."

Wendy suddenly seemed embarrassed…and relieved.

"You're not seeing her?" she said almost childlike.

"No, and for the same reason that I told you I wasn't interested in dating. I don't see that changing anytime soon, Wendy." Chad had decided that he needed to be brutally honest with her. But he realized that he had that same expression on his face that he had seen on Sara's in the new memory just a second ago.

It caused him to soften his approach, he identified with Wendy after having said it. Just seeing the vision or memory or what ever the hell it was, he knew how she felt and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Hey, since you're here, come into the TV room where we can be more comfortable and talk. We've sort of lost touch since Kathy and I have been working on this project." Chad got up and led her into the TV room.

Wendy followed still feeling foolish and small.

Chad sat down on one side of the couch and Wendy on the other.

"Chad, I feel stupid for what I said earlier."

"Don't Wendy, it's-"

"In one way, I feel bad but in another I feel good be…cause-"

Chad watched as Wendy's brow wrinkled as she looked at the fireplace mantle. She glanced at him in puzzlement before standing and walking over to where the pictures of Sara were.

She looked at one picture for a long time. "This is Sara?"

"Yes." Chad knew that her tone asked an unvoiced question.

"She's beautiful," Wendy said and smiled at Chad because she realized the irony of her statement. Wendy looked like Sara's little sister. The resemblance was remarkable.

Chad laughed catching her devilish smile. "Yes, she was, very beautiful."

Wendy walked back to the couch, the mood in the room suddenly lighter. "When did you guys go to Malibu?"

Chad frowned. "Go to Malibu, what do you mean?"

"Malibu beach…when did you and Sara go?"

Chad's frown deepened and he knew that what Wendy would say next would creep him out. "I don't understand. We never went to Malibu."

"Sure you did, in that picture on the mantle. I've been to that very spot many times myself. That's Malibu beach for sure."

Chad rose from the couch and went over to the picture. He looked at it closely for many seconds. "Now that she pointed it out, he saw that the picture was not taken in Seattle. How could he have missed that before?

As he looked at the picture, trying to ascertain anything more, he felt that odd headache again, only this time it was much more intense. So intense that he dropped to his knees and cried out in absolute misery.

"Chad, what's wrong?" Wendy said, rushing to his side.

"I've been having these headaches recently," he said through the pain. He stopped not sure what more he should say about it. "They've been accompanied by some really strange visions. But the pain, the pain this time is far worse than before," he said holding his head in his hands.

"Chad, what's wrong with your voice?"

He looked up at her confused by the oddity of the question; his vision became blurry from the pain in his head. "I don't understand. There's nothing wrong with my voice."

She searched his eyes for a sign that he was kidding her or that he was faking for some other reason.

But she saw nothing of the kind.

"Your accent, it's gone. You sound like an American."

"That's because I was born and raised right here in sunny LA, Sarah. Is this a joke of some kind?"

"Chad, you're scaring me. We both know you were born in Manchester." She looked at him but he didn't respond. "Manchester, England," she finished. She thought that he had called her Sara as a mistake and decided not to call him on that.

"Sarah, why are you calling me Chad? Is this a mission prep? I'm having some difficulty seeing clearly."

Now Wendy was concerned. He talked different, even his facial expression seemed different. It was almost as if another person was in the house with her.

"I'm calling 911. There's something wrong, Chad."

Wendy walked towards the kitchen to where she remembered seeing a phone. About halfway there, she was stopped by her boss's voice.

"Stop, come here. I need your help to get up."

She turned around and dashed back to Chad. He reached out a hand and she grabbed it and pulled, raising him from where he had sat on the floor. But instead of the thanks she expected to hear from him, he grabbed her by the shoulders roughly and with a tone that she had never heard from Chad, he spoke, "Who are you and what have you done with Sarah?"

"Chad, Sara's dead. What's wrong with you?" Wendy said, her voice was as innocent as a child's. She looked into the eyes of the man she thought she knew so well, who continued his vice like grip on her shoulders. But she noticed his expression change, become softer. She wasn't sure why he changed his behavior.

"Sarah's not dead. Now, tell me who you are?" he said and then he had an afterthought. "And tell me who you think I am?"

Wendy was confused. She was more than confused, she was panic stricken. But she did as she was told. "You're Chad Brown…you're my boss. You live here in this house…in Seattle."

"Seattle! What the-"

"Chad, you need to get to the hospital. You may have had a stroke or something."

He ignored her.

"I'm fine, except for this blurry vision. The pain's completely gone now." He peered at her intently. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

Wendy let out an anguished sob of fear for her boss. "I'm Wendy. Please listen to me. You need to get to a hospital."

He calmed himself so that he could calm her, even though he was as confused as she was, he knew that in the spy world, crazy things like this happened all the time. He would take his time and figure out what had happened.

"Wendy, listen to me carefully. My name is Chuck not Chad. I'm from LA not Manchester, England. And I suspect that somehow you've gotten mixed up in something you shouldn't have. My partner's name is Sarah, Sarah Walker. Have you seen or heard from her?"

"You mean the Sara in the picture?"

"Yes, have you seen her or a big ugly guy that likes to grunt instead of speak words?"

"She's your partner…not your girlfriend?"

"Uh, that's complicated, Wendy."

Wendy shook her head in response. "Could you let go of my arms, Chad, I mean Chuck…you're hurting me?"

Chuck quickly let go. "I'm sorry," he said and turned his back to her with his head down pacing around the room.

He turned back to her quickly. "How long have you known me?" he said as though the question was completely normal.

"Ah, about three and half months, I guess."

"Three and half months…shit. What's the date?"

"Chad, Uh Chuck, you're scaring me."

"Date! What's the date, Wendy? This is important."

She looked at the fierceness in his eyes. She had never seen Chad look like that. Chad was always so calm. "February, February 14th,, 2010"

She watched him begin pacing again. Slowly she began to realize that something extraordinary was happening and that Chad or Chuck or whoever this guy was was not having a stroke. That something truly bizarre was happening.

"The last thing I remember was." He stopped short in his tracks and his face looked grim. "Bryce died. And then all the confusion about whether we caught all of the Ring Agents or if one could have gotten away." He turned his back to her.

"Ok, this is what we're going to do. We are going to act just like we always do. We're going to work tomorrow just like always. I'm sure we've got at least one CIA agent on the scene. Maybe more than that."

"CIA! You're with the CIA?"

"It's a long story. Wendy, I need to know I can count on you."

"I'll do whatever you need as long as it's not illegal."

"Good girl," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. "What we need to do is act like we have for the last three and half months."

She responded to his hand on her with a smile. "We've already screwed that up. This is the first time I've ever been to your house."

"Okay, nothing we can do about that now. We will proceed as normally as possible from here."

"Okay – can I ask you a question?" she said.

"Sure."

"Is there any danger involved with whatever it is you're doing here?"

Chuck wanted to reassure her. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing to worry about, to ease her mind. But he couldn't. "I won't lie to you, Wendy. Yes, this might be dangerous. But I will do everything I can to see to it that you're safe, okay?"

She nodded her head with a worried smile.

"Now, you need to get home and do whatever it is you do on Sunday afternoon. I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"

She continued to nod her head in agreement as she walked to the door. She left without another word.

She drove to her downtown apartment, parked her car in the parking garage, took the elevator to her floor and unlocked the door to her apartment. Her mind was a blur. She didn't know what was up or down or right or wrong. She didn't know if the man she had fallen for even existed. She began to tear up at the thought.

She threw her keys on the table and took off her jacket. She walked into her living room and stopped short.

"Take a seat," the blonde said with a deadly expression. "We've got a lot to discuss."

Wendy recognized her as Sarah Walker. She recognized that for the first time in her life, she had a gun being pointed at her.

Wendy complied. She made the decision that she would not tell this woman what she had learned today. In the blink of an eye, she had decided to protect Chad or Chuck and just play dumb. She didn't know how much she could trust her until she talked with Chuck.

She took a deep breath and began to play a game that had she known just how outmatched she was she would have been more scared than she already felt. But she focused on the man she worked for. She cared for him and she wasn't so sure that this woman with the deadly stare was really for his best interest. Even with the gun focused steadily on her, she calmly began to play.

"I know you. I thought you were dead."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I'm going ahead and posting this chapter. I'm not entirely satisfied with it but I can't define what is bothering me about it. Anyway, only two chapter left...I think. We'll see if I can put everything I have in my head, in the next two chapters. The action will heat up from here.

Witness Protection

Chapter 12

Wendy tried to stay composed under the avalanche-like pressure that was Sarah's eyes. She knew that she had never been scrutinized as closely in her whole life. It felt as though she could feel Sarah's gaze move across her body like a futuristic scanner looking into the deepest recesses of her soul. It was even more frightening when those cobalt blue, steel eyes came to rest upon her own. Wendy felt naked sitting in the chair.

"Who do you work for?" Sarah finally asked, mercifully ending the visual undressing.

Wendy frowned. _Surely, she knows I work for Chad._ "I work for Chad Brown," Wendy said not sure if that was Sarah's meaning.

"Who else?"

"I don't understand," Wendy said honestly. She saw Sarah's countenance change as she seemed to be deciphering the younger woman's expression. Taking it apart, piece by piece, to find the truth in her words. Sarah's hard exterior softened as she determined that the woman spoke the truth.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. Don't try to lie to me. I will know it." Sarah shifted her body to a more comfortable and less alert position. "What kind of man is Chad Brown?" she asked.

Wendy thought she looked even more interested in this answer. Wendy had told herself to stay focused and reserved. She wanted to make sure that she did not give away any information that might hurt Chad. But she couldn't help herself, talking about Chad Brown was something she could do for hours.

"Chad is a good man. He's funny when he's not-" she stopped realizing that she hadn't meant to say that.

"Not what?" Sarah asked.

Wendy mentally scolded herself. She hadn't been in this conversation thirty seconds and was already saying things she didn't want to say. But then she thought that maybe she could learn something about this woman sitting opposite of her with a gun in her hand. At the moment she noticed with some relief, that it was not pointed directly at her.

_So be it_, she thought. "When he's not heartsick. I don't understand how you can make him believe you are dead. It has absolutely devastated him," she said and then noticed with surprise that her words affected Sarah.

"I…it's, you don't understand the situation," Sarah said and it was apparent that she was not going to say any more.

But Wendy saw the pain linger in Sarah's eyes and realized that whatever else was going on between them, that Sarah loved Chuck as well. She wondered briefly what could be causing this woman to hurt, so deeply, the man she loved. She reluctantly added as an afterthought that she seemed to be hurting herself as well.

"Back to the point." Sarah cleared her voice before continuing. "Tell me about Chad? Leave out the relationship commentary."

"Chad is funny, and like I said, he's decent and honest. The kind of guy who will give you the shirt off of his back if you need it. He's hard working, he's a great boss." She made sure she was looking into Sarah's eyes when she spoke again. "He's lonely," she said and watched the other woman's reaction. This time the tables were turned on her.

"And you're completely in love with him."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I'm very good at reading people. I already know more about you than you can imagine." As a way to prove her point, she put her pistol into her purse. Then looked back into Wendy's eyes. "So, when I say you're in love with him, it is not a question."

Wendy tried to hold Sarah's gaze but could not. When she mustered up the courage to try again, she saw in that brief connection, an endless reserve of strength of will in the older woman's eyes. And in the brief moment of time, she knew she was outmatched…in every way. Although she tried not to show it, she surrendered then and there.

"Okay, I'm in love with him, too." She tried to keep some amount of dignity about herself as she sat upright in her chair with her hands in her lap.

Sarah eyed her evenly but did not argue. "I need to speak to him."

Wendy waited for her to say more and became puzzled when she did not. "Okay?" she said the word as if it were a question.

"You don't understand, I need to speak with him without anyone else knowing I'm here. I need to see him alone."

Wendy almost screwed up. She almost said, "You mean the CIA," but stopped herself in time. "Call him. You can use my phone if you like."

"No, I need to see him. I need to see that he's okay."

"You need to see that he's okay! I just told you he's not okay. He misses you terribly."

"I don't mean that kind of okay," Sarah said frustrated at her inability to communicate her feelings.

"What other kind is there?" Wendy asked, honestly.

Just then Sarah's phone rang and she was grateful for the interruption.

"Hello."

"Yes, I'm looking at her now." Sarah raised her razor blade eyes slowly to meet Wendy's.

The young woman shivered at being the object of this conversation. She guessed that the man on the other end was John Casey that Chuck spoke of.

"No, I've got a better idea."

"I'm going into his office tomorrow, after lunch."

"No, it's not as crazy as it sounds. You haven't seen his office manager. Look, I'm staying here tonight. I'll call you later with details. If I get caught…" Sarah's eyes suddenly drew moist. She cleared her throat. "If I get caught, you make sure that he's safe…okay?" It was all she could do to speak the last words with any real volume, the emotion in her heart had robbed her throat of its usual ability.

Sarah hung up the phone and avoided Wendy's eyes. She became interested in the hem of her shirt, the length of her sleeves, and even the contents of her purse.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, you know?" Wendy said, conversationally.

Sarah looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Loving Chad, he's a great guy."

"It's not that simple for me." Sarah tried to be dismissive but Wendy wasn't having it.

"Love isn't simple…it's complicated. Even for normal people."

Sarah's head snapped up at that. "Normal people…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying normal people…not people who are supposed to be dead, sitting in my apartment with a gun in her purse."

Sarah smiled at that. She had thought Wendy had figured out what was going on and that she was a government agent. She was relieved to discover otherwise. And, she realized that she liked Wendy. She had a sense of humor and she wasn't begging for mercy. Sarah had seen men react worse to her interrogations.

Wendy became serious as she regarded Sarah. She even frowned for a moment. "I can see that you love him. What I can't see is what's keeping you apart? I know he loves you, it tears him up to think you're gone. All you have to do is go to him. If you've done something wrong, tell him you're sorry. He'll forgive you in a second."

Sarah was quiet for a moment and in that time of quiet, she met Wendy's gaze for an instant before lowering her eyes, apparently in contemplation, only to repeat the pattern twice before she spoke. "I've done nothing wrong…and neither has he. If I had to tell you one reason why we aren't together, I would say… fate."

Wendy watched as Sarah struggled to keep her eyes from tearing up. She watched Sarah fail. Her brow wrinkled in the depth of her inability to understand Sarah's point. "Fate is what's keeping you apart?" Her voice held such incredulity. She clearly wasn't buying it.

Sarah wiped at her eyes openly and without shame, evidently giving into the notion that she was emotional on this subject. Or, maybe it was that she was comfortable talking about it with her. "Among other things… Look, some people just aren't meant to be."

"Good to hear. So you won't mind if I give it my best shot with him then?"

Sarah's eyes smoldered as she watched Wendy, adding to their redness. She realized that this young woman had just put her into an uncomfortable situation. She wanted to say that she didn't care. She knew that the professional thing to say was that she didn't care. She knew that she could maintain some semblance of dignity by saying she didn't care.

But she could not make those words come out of her mouth.

Wendy smiled at her silence. "That's what I thought," she finally uttered. "Uh, I heard you say on the phone that you were going to Chuck's office tomorrow. How are you going to do that without being seen?"

Now it was Sarah's turn to smile. "Because I'm going as you."

It took a second for Wendy to catch on but when she did, she started to get up.

"Don't," Sarah said with conviction.

Wendy sat back down but did not look happy.

"Look, I appreciate you wanting to take care of Chu…Chad, but you have to believe me, no one knows how to protect him better than I do. I've been doing it for some time now," Sarah said.

"What are you, his bodyguard?"

Sarah thought about it for a second. "In a manner of speaking, yes. That's exactly what I am."

"Is he some diplomat of some kind and you're like a secret service agent?" Wendy wanted to see if Sarah would open up at all. She was dying to know what the story was with them.

"Something like that." Was all she got.

"Tell me you're not some murderer or criminal on the run for some terrible crime. Just tell me you not wanted by the police?"

"I can honestly tell you we're not wanted by the police. I'm not an axe murderer and when I stay here in your apartment tonight, you won't have to worry about whether you're going to wake up tomorrow." Sarah smiled sweetly at her.

"You said that on purpose, didn't you? Knowing that I won't be able to stop from thinking about it. That was cruel," Wendy said, sincerely.

Sarah actually laughed. "Yes it was. I'm sorry. Forget I said that." And she laughed even louder after seeing Wendy's expression.

"Now you're making fun of me." Wendy was in that place of being half hurt and half amused and not really knowing which way to lean.

Sarah tried not to, but couldn't help herself. She started to laugh even more and the more she laughed the deeper her laugh became. Until she started to hurt.

To Wendy's credit, she laughed as well until eventually, the two women settled into an uncomfortable silence.

"So, how is this going to work?" Wendy asked, still not sure if she would go along. But deep down she knew she didn't have much choice.

"You're coming home for lunch and I will go back in your place."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"I don't know," Wendy wondered what Chuck would think of her involvement in this.

"Wendy, promise me that you will stay here tomorrow. Not call anyone, especially Chad?" Sarah suddenly became serious again. "You don't know how serious this could be."

"Maybe." She was trying to get back at Sarah. Wendy thought about it. She had no reason to doubt that Sarah meant to protect Chuck. She realized if the stakes were as high as Sarah indicated, that she should go with her gut and stick to it. "I'll wait for you to come back. I assume you're taking my car…and bringing it back?"

"That's right. I'll want to wear your clothes as well.

You mean the clothes I wear in the morning?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure you'll fit into my clothes," Wendy said with her own sweet smile.

"Don't make me pull my gun out of my purse," Sarah said enjoying the repartee.

Wendy stood while still smiling. "Do you want something to drink? Or, are you hungry?"

Sarah stood as well. "No, do you have a second bedroom where I can lay down. I want to rest and I need to make a phone call or two."

Wendy showed Sarah to the spare bedroom and turned to leave but was halted by Sarah's voice as she reached the door.

"I'm trusting you, Wendy. That's not easy for me to do. Don't make me regret it. You would not enjoy a regretful Sarah Walker."

Wendy was reminded that standing in her spare bedroom was a dangerous person. And even though they had shared a joke or two, it was best not to forget that in a moment's notice, this dangerous person could turn on her, like a wild animal you feed in the park.

Wendy nodded her head in acquiescence as she closed the door. She could not help but wonder what strange circumstances could have ever brought Chuck together with this woman. And even more astonishing, how could two people of such opposite dispositions and apparent experiences ever grow to love one another. How could Sarah Walker ever allow herself to fall in love in the first place?

Wendy went into her bedroom. She closed the door and locked it. _Not that that will keep her out if she wants in_, she thought. Wendy tried to get a nap and not think about Sarah sneaking into her room to kill her in her sleep. Bitch, she thought and laughed as she recalled their earlier conversation.

Her last thought before dosing off was that if Chuck loved the woman in her spare bedroom, then she would not be capable of killing someone in cold blood.

At least that was her hope.

* * *

Sarah went over the details of her excursion into Chuck's office with Casey. After hearing of her plan, he thought it was as good a chance as they were going to get. They finalized their strategy and coordinated their watches and determined when they would call each other again.

Sarah hung up from Casey realizing she had one more call to make. Chewing on her lip the whole time she dialed the number, she waited for an answer.

"Hello."

Sarah frowned. The voice didn't sound right. She almost hung up. "Chester, is that you?"

She heard some coughing on the other end of the line.

"Sorry, love. I've got a terrible cold."

"I can tell, you don't even sound like the same man."

"It's me."

Sarah smiled. "I'm calling to remind you of our meeting in two days. You haven't forgotten have you?"

"How could I forget you, love. But the thing is-"

"No you don't. You're not getting out of this. Not now. It's really important that I see you. So, sick or not, you're coming, okay?"

He sighed deeply. "Alright, love. I'll be there."

"You promise?"

"I promise. I'll see you then? By the way, what's so important about this particular date?"

"Nothing really. I'm just putting fate to the test. See you then, Chester."

"Bye, love."

Sarah hung up the phone and threw it on her bed. _Putting fate to the test_, she thought. _Who are you trying to kid. You're trying to do everything you can to prove that Chuck isn't that guy_, she thought.

_What if he is that guy, Sarah? Then what will you do. What if when you go to meet Chester…nothing. Will you then say that maybe Chuck is that guy?_

As she lay in bed contemplating her situation with Chuck, she came to the conclusion that she was mentally ill. She had to be. How else would you explain being so desperately in love with someone but not wanting to be in love with them. Or, being afraid to love them.

It was mental. That was the only explanation.

_If you were serious about testing fate, you would have an outcome that gave Chuck a chance,_ she thought honestly. _Not some contrived situation that you can point to to say why you told him no .Because you're already planning to tell him no._

Sarah picked up a book by Terry Goodkind that was laying on the nightstand and began to read. It wasn't really her cup of tea but it passed the time. Three hours later, she felt like she could go on to sleep.

She got undressed and slipped under the covers. Just before she slipped into slumber, she thought one more time.

_Mental_.

* * *

"Director, I got a hold of Kelly and pulled her out of there like you asked. She's taking some time off and driving back. We'll see her in about a week," Steve, the project manager said.

"Very well. Any word from Seattle?"

"Not yet. But if they drove from Gulf Shores to Seattle, they should be there by now. I've alerted our people to be vigilant."

"Very well, Steve. It's a waiting game now. They will definitely try to establish contact and when they do, we'll nab them. We'll have to assess what damage has been done to the program and assess the risk this additional activity has created."

"Any idea why Casey and Walker have not come in?"

"We have two main theories on that? First, they have reason to believe it's not safe. Or, at least, they think they have reason to believe it's not safe."

"Okay, I'll buy that. If they thought for instance that the Ring had infiltrated our inner circle, they would stay in the cold."

"That's what we think anyway."

"What's the second reason?"

"They may just want to verify that he's okay first hand before coming in. We don't really know how clear headed they may be after this procedure. It could be that they think that they should verify the asset is safe prior to coming in."

Kemmet shook his head. "Maybe, but the first scenario seems more plausible to me."

"Me too."

"More plausible and more dangerous for our agents. If Walker and Casey see us as a potential threat, they will not cooperate with us at any point in the retrieval process."

"That's our fear, Sir."

"Goddammit, Steve. You know what you're asking me to do?"

"Yes sir."

Kemmet thought for only a second. "Very well. Tell the Agents on site that they have a situation assessment scenario. But they use force only after their sure of deadly intent. Make sure they know that."

"I will, Sir."

"Very well. Do the best you can, Steve."

"I'll keep you informed, Sir." Steve left the Directors office.

**A/N: I just want to take a moment and thank everyone who has left me a comment. It has kept me motivated to plough through this story. **

**A number of you have commented on every chapter. A special heartfelt thanks to you as well. I hope you enjoy this one as well. **


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Next to the last chapter. I really think you'll like the ending.

Witness Protection

Chapter 13

Sarah saw Wendy out the door after giving her last minutes instructions and then she had the rest of the morning to consider how she would deal with seeing this man that was such a huge part of her life and yet all she knew about him were the fragments of memory that she had retained.

She lay on the bed and went over every memory she had of him, savoring every one. Because she knew that the likelihood of her actually ending up with him was low. True love was not something she had ever allowed herself to think about. It frightened her to have to live up to the expectations of others. It amazed her to think that before this experiment that they participated in, she had actually considered leaving the CIA for him. That is what Casey told her, she wasn't sure if she believed him on that one. It just didn't seem like the Sarah Walker she knew.

What puzzled her even more was how Casey acted towards the idea of her going off with Chuck at some point in the future. Most of the time he echoed the party line, an agent should never get emotionally entangled with an asset. But it was the things that he did not say that always left doubt in her mind how he felt about them personally. She wished she could remember him and then maybe she would have a better feel for his true thoughts about Chuck and her.

And if she wasn't already freaked out over the stress of having to live up to someone's expectations, someone who loved her…she thought of Chuck's sister wrapping her in a big hug and telling her that she loved her.

_She closed her eyes at that. This family has way too high of expectations of me,_ she thought.

She thought of her English phone buddy, Chester. They had a real connection. She hung onto that because that gave her hope that Chuck was not her _soul mate_ and in fact, she could find a number of men that she could be happy with. She pinned most of her hopes of being able to walk away on that fact.

Wendy finally made it back to her apartment and got out of her clothes and brought them into Sarah's bedroom for her to change into.

"It's a very routine day at the office. Chad has been in his office the whole morning, going over schematics and blueprints. It's the perfect day for you to see him. Just go into his office and close the door. No one will pay attention to that. We've done it a hundred times when we're going over some contract and didn't wish to be disturbed."

Sarah put on the clothes that Wendy gave her. There was something about the red dress that made her uncomfortable. She didn't know why, but she really wanted to put on a different color but it was necessary to maintain the same clothing so she forgot about it. She noted with a little frustration that the dress did fit her a little more snugly than it did Wendy.

Sarah stepped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen-living area of Wendy's apartment to find Wendy, in blue jeans, waiting on her.

Sarah walked to the door and just before reaching it, Wendy began to speak.

"Sarah, I hope this works out for you. That is, if it is meant to be…you and him."

Sarah just nodded, knowing she couldn't keep the anxiety from showing in her voice. She left without a word.

Sarah followed the GPS instructions in Wendy's little blue Ford Focus directly to Chuck's office building on the Southwestern side of Seattle. She pulled into the parking lot of the office building, got out of the car, looking around to see if she spotted any CIA personnel that she knew were staking out the place. She did not and she hadn't expected to.

She walked quickly into the office building and immediately spotted the work area that Wendy had described to her. She went immediately to it and sat down. She looked at where Wendy told her Chad's office was and saw that the light was out. That's when she noticed a note on the computer keyboard. She picked it up and began to read.

_Wendy_

_I've gone to meet with Kathy Winslow at my house. She told me she lost an earring there. I will return once we find it. _

_Chad._

Sarah used her phone to dial Wendy's number. She left Wendy a voicemail because she told Wendy not to answer the phone. In a second she got a call back.

"Sarah, what do you need?"

"Who is Kathy Winslow?"

"She's a new client that has been taking up all of Chad's time. I really don't like her, I can tell you that."

Sarah smiled. _Wendy didn't like her because she was jealous_, she thought.

Suddenly, Sarah became suspicious. "How much time?"

"Uh, like all of it," she said sounding like a school girl.

"Okay, thanks." Sarah disconnected the call and made another.

"Casey, it's me. Do you have eyes on the target?"

"Yeah, he's just gone into his house with some woman I don't recognize. Stay put, I'm going to check it out. I'll call you back in five."

"Right." Sarah hung up and looked around the place while she waited on Casey's phone call. There was an older guy in the other office but he seemed to be preoccupied with whatever he was doing. Sarah got comfortable sitting there. She felt sure that she could pull this off with ease. She would wait for Chuck to get back and assess his state of mind and more importantly his memory and determine with Casey what their next step would be then.

Sarah opened up Wendy's email and began to look through it. She had looked at a number of them when she looked at her watch and frowned. It was not like Casey to miss a call in. He was ten minutes late.

Sarah gave him another five minutes but as each minute passed by, she became more and more concerned that something was wrong.

After fifteen minutes late, she left the office building and got back into Wendy's car. She called her again and this time she answered on the first ring.

"Sarah, is anything wrong?"

"I'm not sure. What's Chad's address? I need to check on him."

Sarah plugged the address into the GPS and followed the directions out to the island where Chad lived. She did not stop when the instructions told her to, instead she drove by and turned around and parked in the next block down so she could observe the place for a while.

She saw no evidence that the place was under surveillance by the CIA which was unusual unless they somehow occupied one of the houses in the neighborhood. But that usually took more time that what they would have had for this operation. She decided that she couldn't wait any longer. She would drive right to his house and pretend to be Wendy. As she pulled into his driveway, every instinct she had told her that something was wrong. She had no other course of action but to proceed.

Walking the fine line between acting normally like Wendy would do as if she were going to Chad's house, just in case there were CIA agents on the scene, and trying to be quiet just in case something was going on inside the house, she made it to the front door.

She opened the door slowly and couldn't believe what she saw. She started to reach for her gun but Kelly told her no and pointed he pistol at Chuck's head.

"Come in Sarah," Kelly said, the tone of her voice was not friendly.

Sarah stepped in and saw Casey and Chuck sitting in wooden backed chairs and they were restrained at the wrists and ankles to the chairs. Casey appeared to be drugged but conscious. Chuck's head hung down, resting on his chest.

Sarah continued to look at Kelly but something caught her attention. Without shifting her gaze she concentrated on her peripheral vision and saw Casey wiggling his right ring finger. Sarah knew what he was trying to tell her.

Kelly was a ring agent.

"Come in, Sarah. I've been expecting you," Kelly said and pointed to the third unoccupied chair beside Chuck. "Take a seat." She had a satisfied smile on her face.

Sarah walked further into the room and stopped in front of her assigned chair.

"Lose the guns and knives. Pitch them over by the table over there."

Sarah complied.

"The gun on your leg too," Kelly said even more proud of herself. "You see, I know you too well."

Sarah met Kelly's eyes. She couldn't believe that she had been taken in by here. She was embarrassed to think she had ever cared for her.

Sarah reached inside of her dress and pulled out a little snub noise and threw it with the other weapons.

"Now sit down. Restrain your ankles and then your left wrist." Kelly watched as Sarah did as she was asked. When Sarah was through, Kelly came over and put the tie on her right wrist as well. She took a couple of steps back so she could see all of them.

Sarah noticed for the first time how dark it was in the room and saw that Chuck had the electronically tinted windows and they were completely tinted now.

"Isn't this a fine mess you've got yourself into, Sarah? But I have to admit, there is something here. I just haven't figured out what it is yet." Kelly looked to Casey before addressing Sarah again. "Casey's been no help at all telling me what Chuck's role is in this little team of yours. He told me all about you and Chuck. Blabbered on about you and your asset for some time but when I asked him about Chuck's specific role, he somehow was able to withstand the Pentothal's effects. Very impressive, I must say."

Sarah looked at Chuck. "What did you do to him?"

"I hit him with the butt of my gun when we walked into the house. He should be coming around any time now. And isn't it touching how concerned you are for the asset's safety. I guess Casey was right about you him."

"Kelly, if you so much as lay a finger on him, I swear I'll-"

"Shutup Walker. It hurts me to see you this way. Letting your feelings dictate your behavior. And to think I used to look up to you."

"Casey, wouldn't you agree with me on that?"

"Walker's more of an agent than you will ever be. You're a traitor to your country."  
Kelly walked up to Casey and hit him on the chin with the butt of her gun. Not hard enough to knock him out but enough to make him groggier than he had been by the effects of the Pentothal.

"Kelly, you'll never get out of here alive. This place is swarming with CIA agents. You fire that weapon and there'll be thirty agents in here in a flash."

"Wrong again Agent SarahWalker. There use to be CIA agents here. Right now they're all on there way to Spokane. By the time they figure out they've been tricked, I'll know what I want to know, and at least two of you will be dead."

Sarah felt the dread slip into her thinking as she realized that it was still her job to protect Chuck and at the moment, she saw no way to do that.

"So Sarah," Kelly said as she pointed her gun just an inch away from Chuck's head and pulled back the rammer on the revolver style weapon she carried. "You either tell me who he is and why the NSA and CIA were both protecting him or I will put a bullet through his grey matter."

Sarah was frantic. She could not tell Kelly that Chuck was the intersect. That would be a fate worse than death for him. But…could she really do nothing and watch Kelly pull that trigger. She pulled against the restraints at her wrists with every ounce of strength she had. So much so that blood began to seep from her arms under the plastic material.

Sarah held her breath hoping against hope that Kelly would not pull the trigger. Then she played the classic stall card.

"Kelly, if you kill him and he turns out to be important, that won't look very good on the mission report."

"You're right. I've got a better idea anyway," she said as she went into the kitchen and poured a glass of water into a glass and walked back to Chuck. She unceremoniously dumped the contents of the glass onto Chuck's head causing him to stir.

Kelly waited for him to clear up before she spoke to him.

He came too slowly, looking at Casey first and then over to Sarah. He squinted his eyes as if he wasn't seeing well.

"Wendy?" he said.

"No, lover boy that's Agent Sarah Walker."

Chuck did the classic double take and when he realized who it was that sat beside him; he struggled mightily against his restraints.  
"Kathy, if you hurt her, I swear-" Chuck never finished because Kelly hit him hard in the face with her open hand.

Sarah had never seen Kelly enjoying hurting people before, but she clearly was.

"You know, asset, you need to recognize when to keep your mouth shut." As she spoke, she made a point of showing everyone that she had taken all the bullets out of her revolver. She then took one bullet and held it up for Chuck to see. Sliding the bullet into the chamber, she spun it around and immediately pointed and fired the weapon at Sarah's face.

Click.

Chuck let out an anguished gasp as he realized what had happened.

Sarah too realized that she could have been dead just as easily as not right now. Suddenly, she knew what Kelly was up to and she knew she was as good as dead anyway. She calmed herself to get her heartrate down.

"Chuck, don't tell her anything. You hear me?" Sarah said as forcefully as she could. "No matter what she does to me or Casey. Do you understand?"

Kelly held up two bullets this time. She ignored Sarah's impassioned plea to Chuck. She knew that she had the stronger hand. "I'm going to give you one chance and one chance only to tell me who you are. Or…I will continue this game."

"Chuck." Sarah said, but her voice gave away the fact that she knew what he would do. She was his weak spot. Somehow even without having her memory she knew it.

"My name is Chuck Bartowski."

Kelly waited for him to say more. "And?" She shoved two bullets into the chamber to spur him on.

"And I'm the intersect." Chuck looked at Sarah then. "I'm sorry, Sarah but I'd rather go with them than know that I let you get killed.

"Chuck, Casey and I are already dead." Sarah could not look into his eyes. She had failed him. After a ragged breath, she raised her eyes to his. "Kelly's not going to let us live."

"That's right Agent Walker. You have become a liability," she said as she pulled out the phone. "As soon as I report this, I'll take care of that problem."

"Kelly, don't do this. Please. You don't know him…please, don't do this. We've known each other for too long to end it this way." Sarah was not speaking from what she knew but from what she felt in her heart, and right now, because of her heart…she was begging.

Kelly listened to her and continued to press the numbers into her phone. When she finished, she put the phone to her ear. "Damn it, you've got scramblers turned on. Where are they?"

While Kelly was speaking, the front door of Chuck's house crept open and Wendy snuck through carrying a letter opener. Kelly's back was to her and just as Kelly was close enough to use her weapon, in a flash, Kelly spun and using the butt of her gun, hit Wendy in the jaw, knocking her unconscious and knocking out at least a couple of teeth.

Kelly said to the group in general. "There's a mirror right there. I could see her the whole time." She laughed cruelly at the woman lying on the floor. I'll just find the circuit breaker and take care of the jamming problem and then I'll take care of my other problems," she said looking at Sarah.

After Kelly left the room, it only took a moment for the lights to go out. In the darkness, Chuck's voice rang through clearly. "Sarah, I love you. I always have and I always will."

Sarah didn't know how to respond. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest but right now, she was gripped with fear. Fear of failing her mission and fear of actually having someone love her as much as the man sitting next to her. She had seen it in his eyes. Because of that, she was thankful for the darkness that the electronically tinted windows caused inside the room.

Sarah heard Kelly coming back into the living room. She was holding her lighter up for light to see her way back into the living room. Just when Kelly stepped in front of Sarah, her lighter went out. She tried twice to relight it; on the third try she was successful. She found herself looking straight into the eyes of Wendy. And just a second after that, Sarah heard Kelly gasp in pain. In the faint light of the lighter, Sarah saw the letter opener that Wendy had carried buried up to the handle into Kelly's chest and she fell to the floor.

Wendy stood looking in horror at what she had done, blood still streaming from her mouth.

"Wendy, get the lights. They're in the laundry room across from the main bathroom," Chuck said.

In a second, the lights came on the prisoners looked at the dying Kelly lying on the floor. It was apparent from the location of the wound in her chest that there was nothing that could be done for her. She breathed her last breath while looking at Sarah. No one could tell whether she could not speak before she died or chose not to.

The moment Chuck saw Wendy return, he asked her to untie them. She started with him and then Casey because he seemed in more pain and finally Sarah. When she finished with Sarah's ankle restraints, Chuck was at her side, staring into her eyes. Looking up into his, she felt as if she was in the room with only him. She could have stayed there like that for an eternity but then Chuck ruined it.

"God, I've missed you so much, Sarah," he said and reached for her right hand with his left.

It wasn't as much what he said but the honest desperation of the truth of what he said that overwhelmed her.

She pulled her hand free. "Chuck, are you okay?" Her tone was all business as she looked everywhere now but into his eyes.

He knew something was wrong.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" he said sensing her discomfort.

"Nothing, I'm just going outside to make sure Kelly was telling the truth about the CIA agents." Sarah walked quickly to the door leaving Chuck to look at Casey with a _what's going on _expression on his face.

When Sarah was outside, Casey looked from the door to Chuck. "She doesn't remember. Something's gone wrong with her memory recall. She only has bits and pieces. For all intents and purposes, she is the Sarah Walker that existed before she met you."

Chuck felt the blood leave his legs and he sat back down in the chair, he had been strapped to, hard. "So, she doesn't remember me at all?"

"Like I said, she has memories of you but they're fragmented. She has feelings for you but she's fighting them…because she knows she shouldn't have them."

Wendy put her hand on Chuck's shoulder and squeezed. "Hey, she fell in love with you once. It's only a matter of time. Don't give up on her," she said through a pained smile.

When Sarah came back into the house she avoided Chuck's gaze. "Look's like Kelly was telling the truth. The good news she gave us some important information," she said looking at Casey.

"Yeah, all of this was for nothing," he said capped off with a disgusted grunt.

"We had no way of knowing that at the time. We did what we had to do." She continued to avoid Chuck with her eyes.

"Sarah, can I talk with you?"

Sarah, forced to look at him now, actually looked afraid. It was an unusual expression for her. "Sure, what do you need," she said, her voice short and clipped.

"Privately," he said and grabbed her arm as he went toward the front door.

She followed him but so reluctantly.

Once they were outside and could talk without being heard, Chuck turned to face her. "Casey, told me about your memories."

"Yeah."

"Sarah, you do know about us, right?"

"About us?"

"That we're together. You remember that, right?"

"Chuck, I…look right now we need to clean up this mess here and then let's figure out where we go from there."

"At least have dinner with me tonight?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be tied up tonight with phone calls and paperwork."

"Tomorrow night then?" Chuck remembered suddenly about the promise he made to his mystery caller. "I can't tomorrow, he said. "I've got something else to do."

"So do I," Sarah said.

They started back towards the house in unison. "Where are you staying? You're welcome to stay here if you like," he said hopefully.

"I'll probably just stay with Wendy for tonight and figure something else out tomorrow. She's going to need emergency surgery on her mouth."

Chuck nodded in agreement.

When they went into the house, Casey was speaking to Kemmet and General Beckman on the phone, giving them details of what had happened.

"Yes, Sir. Walker and I will take care of it. Yes, before she died, she confirmed that the Ring had no knowledge of Chuck Bartowski being the intersect." Casey shot Sarah a look. "Yeah, I estimate this will take three or four days to sort out. We have a civilian to vet and take a decision on," he said, looking at Wendy. "Very well, we'll contact you tomorrow with more details." Casey disconnected the call.

"What's up?' Sarah said.

"We've got a CIA ambulance coming in for Kelly and we'll start fresh first thing in the morning. We've got a few loose ends here," he said knowingly and only Sarah understood what he meant.

Thirty minutes later found Chuck, alone, in his house, with a bottle of scotch, wondering what the next few days would bring.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**: Okay, to make this final chapter special I want you to do something a little different. Before you start reading this story pull up another internet tab and go to Google and type in the **Gabe Dixon Band** and the song **Disappear**. With me so far. Okay, you're looking for the 5 minute studio version on youtube. Pull it up and have it ready to play. When you get to the CIA cafeteria scene in this story, at the end, start the song.

**A/N II**: I've really enjoyed writing this story. It's been fun. I am kicking around a very short epilogue but I am happy with the ending. Let me know if you want it. If it's overwhelming I will do it.

There were some concerns that this last chapter was going to be rushed. My sense is that it isn't but if you disagree please let me know. An author's sense of these kinds of things is his life's blood. I would appreciate it.

I hope you enjoy.

Witness Protection

Chapter 14

The next day was busy for Casey and Sarah as they made sure that the witness protection project as it had come to be known, had not been compromised. Chuck was given the task of taking care of Wendy. The United States Government took care of the oral surgery for her and Chuck made sure she got to and from the procedure safely. They did not talk much because of the pain that she was in.

While Chuck waited on Wendy to finish getting the two new implants, he got a call from Casey. As soon as Wendy was able, he was to bring her to Chad's office building for some official government business.

After the procedure, he took her to her apartment and she took a nap. He waited for her at her apartment sensing that Sarah needed time to figure some things out, so it just made sense that he stay with Wendy.

She was ready to leave around mid-afternoon and Chuck drove her to the office building. He got out of the car and opened her car door for her and helped her walk to the building. He opened the office door for her and when they stepped inside, they saw about thirty men and women inside all looking at Wendy. When both she and Chuck were securely inside, the room erupted in applause.

"What's this about?" Wendy had to speak over the noise.

"These are CIA and NSA agents, Wendy. They have one of, if not, the most dangerous jobs in the world. They realize that everyday they wake up, it could be their last. When someone, especially a civilian, saves not only one but two of their own, it's a big deal," Chuck said smiling at her and then began to clap as well.

Wendy was overcome with emotion and buried her face in Chuck's chest.

He whispered in her ear. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. They just want to show you how much they appreciate what you've done for them."

He gently pushed her away so that she had to acknowledge the salute that was being given her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her further into the room. As she passed the men and women still clapping, they would pat her on the shoulder or just say thank you.

He finally walked her so that she was standing in front of Colonel John Casey, and Special Agent Sarah Walker. They both stopped clapping so that they could address her.

"Wendy Evans, the United States Government would like to present you with this medal of valor for the saving of Government Agent's lives." Casey said and then saluted her briskly then shook her hand, his expression ever stoic. Sarah smiled warmly at Wendy and shook her hand as well.

Speech, speech, speech started to be chanted by the audience as Wendy seemed completely awestruck by the circumstances.

She looked to Chuck who smiled at her.

"Just tell them thanks for the tremendous honor. If you don't want to say that, just say what is in your heart," he whispered in her ear.

The chanting stopped when it appeared that she would speak. She swallowed hard a couple of times and then spoke.

"I hated that bitch," was all she managed to say.

The place erupted in laughter which embarrassed Wendy when she realized what she had said. But the crowd was not going to have her feeling bad, one after another, agents came up to her to tell her how much they admired her for her courage.

Almost ten minutes of congratulations later, Casey ushered Wendy, Chuck and Sarah into Chuck's old office and closed the door.

"Take a seat, Wendy," Casey said motioning towards the chair around the small conference table.

When she had complied, he pressed a remote control and TV screen slid down from the ceiling. Immediately the forms of two people could be seen on the screen, one woman in military uniform and one distinguished looking man in an expensive business suit.

Chuck shook his head in amazement how quickly his office had been turned into a CIA office.

"Can I say what an honor it is to meet you, Ms. Evans, the woman said. "I'm General Diane Beckman and my colleague is Director of Agent Affairs, John Kemmet."

"Hello, she said weakly.

"We have an offer to make you. Because you have become involved in CIA matters and have knowledge of certain sensitive information, we would like to make you manager of this new CIA sub-station."

Wendy looked around the room. "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"We have agents in every part of the country and all over the world. A sub station listens to telephone traffic at a twenty thousand foot level just screening for key words. They're usually staffed by computer geniuses who can calculate the memory requirements of infant software packages in their heads but don't have a clue how to organize and follow through with a project let alone projects. That's where you would come in," John Casey said. "You would provide support to field agents when needed."

"You're offering me a job with the CIA?"

"That's right. You don't have to take it but it would make certain issues go away if you did."

"I'll take it, she said before he could continue.

"That's great. We'll discuss the details later. Now we need to discuss the future of Team Bartowski," the general said.

"I didn't know we had a future, General," Chuck said and looked at Sarah. She did not return the gaze.

"We don't know that you do. Of course, we will continue to need your services Mr. Bartowski, but how those services are delivered…well we're open to all options."

"What are you saying, General?" Sarah asked.

"Well, as you know. We gave up use of the intersect for fear that we could not protect it from the ring. We weren't sure if they knew about Chuck but we decided not to take the chance. If they have members at every level of the government like they said, a bunker would not protect him. The only thing we knew to do was try the experimental mind wipe with only the smallest membership included in the project. We were sure that they knew of Colonel Casey's involvement so that dictated that he die alone with Bartowski. Agent Walker was felt to be safe so we just removed the necessary memories and let her continue as she had before her involvement with Team Bartowski."

"But the process didn't work," Sarah said.

"Our medical team believes that Casey remembered his past because of you Agent Walker. They have determined that once a memory is wiped, the subject cannot come in contact with that lost memory. There still working on making it more robust."

"So when I saw that Tron poster… that was enough to start the process to break down?"

"No, not ordinarily, inanimate objects usually don't' have the emotional impact to reverse the process. But it is believed that you and Mr. Bartowski have such a strong emotional connection that that aided the memory block's collapse."

Chuck tried to catch Sarah's eyes but she kept her gaze at the screen.

"So what do we do now?" Chuck asked.

"That's up to you, Mr. Bartowski or Carmichael or Brown or whoever you decide you want to be next. I suggest you think about it. Maybe talk with your team and make a collective decision. If you do decide to go on, only the people in the room with you will be a part of it. We can't allow anyone else to have this information."

"So our future is up to Chuck?" Casey asked looking distinctly disturbed.

"I'm afraid it is, Colonel, or at least your future with Team Bartowski."

"Don't worry Casey, I won't make a decision without taking your feelings into account," Chuck said, enjoying the moment.

"If there's nothing else," the General said.

"One more thing," Sarah said standing up to make her point. "I met this guy while I was, uh, off the grid. I think the CIA could use his talents. He's a computer hacker. He's the guy that helped me hack into CIA records a few weeks ago."

"And you want him working for us?" Kemmet said.

"Yes, Sir. I figure better working for us than against us."

Kemmet looked away with a role of his eyes. "Very well, give us a name and number and we'll see about it."

"If you don't mind, sir. I'll contact him first and see if he has an interest. If he does, I'll give Wendy the contact information."

Kemmet sighed. "What's his name at least?"

"I know him as Mike, but I'll find out and let you know."

"Right, is there anything else? If not, we'll talk again in a couple of days," the general said.

The screen went black.

Sarah got up to leave. Chuck had given her space all day but had had his fill of it now. "Sarah, you got a second?"

She hesitated before responding. "Sure." Chuck walked her outside for some privacy.

"Hey, we haven't had a chance to talk."

"Yeah, I know. It's been crazy around here."

"Listen, I know we're both busy tonight but I'm hoping we could have dinner tomorrow. You know, start catching up a little."

Sarah cleared her voice. "Chuck, I'm leaving for Langley tomorrow morning."

"Okay, when you get back then."

"I'm not coming back."

"What?" he looked at her afraid that he knew exactly what she was telling him but still holding out hope that he was wrong.

"I'm leaving the team. You and I…I'm not sure exactly what we had but we shouldn't have had it. The sooner I leave, the sooner we can both start healing."

Chuck took Sarah's hand in his like he used to do when he wanted to make a serious point. It always seemed to have an impact on her.

"You can't really believe that, Sarah. Not after everything we've been through."

Sarah smiled a sad smile and pulled her hand free of his. "I don't remember what we've been through but I know we shouldn't have had it. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

Sarah looked into his eyes hard for the first time since the conversation began. "I'm sorry." She turned and left without looking back.

Chuck watched her leave feeling as though his world was caving in on top of him. With nothing else to do and no where else to go, he went back to his house. He looked at his watch as he opened the front door. He had four hours until his date with Sally, his mystery woman. He remembered their conversations when he was Chad Brown. They were fun and witty, but now that he remembered his life with Sarah, he really didn't want to go tonight…especially this night. But he made a promise. He would not skip out on her no matter how bad he felt.

The four hours he spent alone in his house in Seattle seemed to last a lifetime. Finally, he found himself walking into the little restaurant he had talked about to the mysterious woman named Sally.

He was escorted to a small table that was tucked nicely out of the way that provided for a very intimate dinner. He had asked for this table specifically when he made the reservation weeks ago.

He ordered a glass of wine and drank it while he waited on Sally to show. He looked at his watch and decided he had time to go to the restroom. He told the Mater D that if a woman came in asking for Chester to escort her to his table.

He left the restroom and as soon as he turned the corner, he saw the blonde seated at the place across from his. As he got closer, he thought it was Wendy and he wondered what was going on. With each step closer, his brow drew down more and more as his mind tried to make sense of it. But at mid-step he recognized her and almost stumbled.

"Sarah?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Chuck! What, ah, I…I have a dinner date tonight." She said and felt like she was being unfaithful.

"So do I," he said.

"I'm sorry, Chuck. This could be awkward," she said feeling really bad.

"More awkward than you think, love," he said in his best imitation of Chad's accent.

You could have used any of the clichés. They all fit. Deer in the headlights, hand in the cookie jar, or just being caught red handed. Pick one and Sarah's expression fit.

"You're Chester?"

Chuck sat down and looked at her. He was sure his face was as awestruck as hers. "I can't believe we found each other after having our memories wiped." Chuck's mouth still hung open in complete amazement.

"You're Chester," Sarah repeated.

"Chad Brown was born and raised in Manchester, England until he was a teen. Until a few days ago I was English. Or, at least I thought I was."

"You're Chester?" she repeated still not able to wrap her mind around it.

"Isn't that obvious now."

Sarah was absolutely dumbstruck by the absolute incredible odds of her phoning the one man she was desperate to find. It loosened her up letting her mind forget about her issues with Chuck. She smile at him for the first time since actually finding him. "You're the computer geek, what are the odds of me calling you out of everyone in the country?"

"I bet there's two hundred million phone numbers in the US. So I guess about two hundred million to one."

Sarah smiled and thought that that was probably why she fell for him in the first place. She really didn't expect him to answer that question and he made it seem easy. He was surprising. She remembered Casey saying that more than once on the way to Seattle.

"It kind of reminds me of that one movie with that actor…you know. What's his name?" Chuck said.

Sarah didn't have a clue and it showed in her expression.

"You know, the one where he writes his name and phone number on a five dollar bill and she writes her name and number in a book."

"Serendipity," Sarah said.

"Yeah, that's it. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah, not that long ago, actually." As she spoke, she looked into the brown eyes of this mystery man. She could not deny the lounging in her heart. She allowed herself to think about the possibility of maybe him being that guy.

"Do you believe in fate?" Chuck's gaze was solid with serious intent.

"Honestly, I've never thought about it like that. At least for me," she said and broke the contact.

"I have. I've thought about it a lot since I've met you."

Sarah smiled.

"Hey are you hungry?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm starving."

Chuck called the waiter over and ordered Sarah's favorite glass of wine. And told the waiter they were ready to order.

Realizing that Chuck ordered her favorite wine because he knew her well, she felt odd in contrast. "I forget that you know so much about me. I know so little about you."

"You know the important things, Sarah. Don't feel strange about it. It's not your fault."

She smiled warmly again. "Hey, I just thought of something. Why didn't you recognize my voice when I called you that last time? If I've got my facts straight, you had your memory back then. I suppose I should feel insulted." She teased him with her eyes.

Chuck laughed. "That's easy. You should see my office. I had so many security defense systems in place, your voice went through so many filters and digitizers that by the time I heard it, it had little of your natural inflection left for me to recognize. But on the other hand, I knew when we were being listened in on, didn't I ."

She ignored the last part. "That's a likely story," she feigned not believing him. Sarah was enjoying herself despite having worked so hard to stay away from Chuck or when in close proximity to stay professional. She had unknowingly slipped into that comfortable place that he could always take her to.

"Hey, you know what this kind of reminds me of?" he said.

Sarah leaned in towards him and he did the same. Their hands were just inches apart.

"What?" she asked.

"Our first real date."

"As opposed to our fake dates?"

Chuck realized then just how little she remembered of their life together. "Well, we've had more fake dates that real ones, that's for sure."

Her brow wrinkled at that. "You were working in the field?"

"For three years now. What did you think I did?"

"I don't know. I just assumed you provided information."

I do that. But usually I'm with you when I'm doing it. You need to know, Sarah, professionally speaking, leave the love out of it…we made a good team. If you don't believe me, read the mission reports."

Sarah's smile turned sad. "I believe you. I wish I could remember."

"You will, you'll see, I do believe in that fate thing. I believe you will remember one day."

"So I'm curious, how did you get me to agree to go out with you in the first place?"

"That was over two years ago. We thought I was being released by the CIA and you were leaving for someplace, God knows where, and I just took a chance and asked you to dinner and you said yes."

"Just like that?"

"Well, no. I had to work my charm."

Sarah laughed. "I'll bet you did." She continued laughing with him.

"The rest is history." He said smugly.

"How did the date turn out?"

"Not so well."

"You didn't expect me to be easy on the first date did you," she said, teasing him.

"It wasn't that. The date was fine. It was better than fine. It's what happened after or almost after the date."

"What happened?'

"It turned out that I didn't get the intersect out of my head and we had to keep working together. We eventually broke up."

Sarah pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, but I'm sure you know how I stick to the rules."

"Actually, I broke up with you."

"You broke up with me?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"I guess not," she said, seeing that he was completely serious. "Why did you do it?"

Just then the waiter came with the food and Sarah's question went unanswered. But she tucked it away for later.

They ate and for a while it seemed like old times to Chuck. Sarah was enjoying herself.

"Do you want desert? They have great ice cream deserts here." Chuck asked.

"No, I'm good."

"Okay, just two cups of coffee please. One black and one with cream and sugar."

Sarah smiled at him truly amazed at how well he knew her. But in the back of her mind, an old fear began to surface. Fear that was born of pain she had endured long before she knew Chuck, even long before she had joined the CIA.

There was no way that Chuck could have known that with the Sarah Walker that sat across from him now, the more comfortable he made her feel, the closer he was to losing her.

And so, when at the end of their coffee, he reached over and held her hand like he always did. And when he did, she smiled because she found it pleasant. He saw her smile fade and was replaced with something close to fear. He watched her pull her hand free like she had done earlier today. Her brow wrinkled and she caught his puzzled gaze. "Why did you break up with me two years ago?" she asked.

"To protect you," he said.

"To protect me."

Chuck could not read her eyes. He was at a complete loss when she stood, with that professional countenance that he knew was a façade.

"Chuck, thanks for dinner. I had a good time." She started to leave.

"Hold on, Sarah. What's happening. You're not just leaving like this are you? What did I do?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to. You did nothing wrong. This is all me." She turned and began to walk away.

"I deserve better than this, Sarah. I deserve to know why."

She faltered but kept walking. He stood where he could watch her till she made it to the door. Chuck knew that this Sarah was not quite the same person that he fell in love with. But he didn't have a clue as to what the difference was. He was left wondering why one minute she was having a good time to the next when she was walking out the door.

He paid the bill and left the restaurant with his chin on his chest. About halfway to his car, he saw Sarah leaning against the door of his black Porsche and it filled his mind with memories.

"You like the car?" he said as he got within earshot.

"Love it. It's very nice."

"You should get yourself one," he said and laughed to himself at the irony.

He walked right in front of her. Probably a step closer than she would have liked. "So, I take it you have something else to tell me, besides your going back to Washington?" His voice was neutral.

It was then that he saw tears in her eyes. "Yeah, I want to explain something to you. You were right in the restaurant. I owe you an explanation. I'll do the best I can but I will tell you that this is not my strong suit."

"Fair enough. Get in. We can talk in the car," he told her.

So, as they sat inside Chuck's black Porsche, Sarah fiddled with her purse as she tried to find the words she needed.

"If I ever really loved you, I'm pretty sure that you would be the first person I've truly loved since I was a child." Sarah stopped suddenly and took a deep breath to control her emotions.

Chuck reached over to grab her hand. It was so natural for him.

"Chuck, please don't." She took another deep breath as she prepared to say something she had never told anyone. Not even her CIA shrink.

"You're not going to like this. It's going to sound so lame to you, I'm pretty sure." She whispered because she had no power in her vocal chords.

Chuck looked at her and wanted to comfort her because she was in obvious distress. "Sarah, it's okay. You don't have to do this. It's okay."

"Stop it, just stop it. What are you trying to do to me, Chuck.?"

Chuck saw the raw anger flash in Sarah blue eyes. He knew in many ways she was truly a stranger to him. "Stop what. What am I doing?"

"Stop comforting me. You're making this harder for me. Just shutup an listen…okay?" Her voice was pitifully thin from the stress of the moment.

He nodded and waited.

It took her a moment to regroup. "You were right back in the restaurant . You deserve to know why I can't stay with you." Sarah hung her head and Chuck knew she was gathering her thoughts. "I'm afraid I love you too much."

"What?" he said, not sure if he heard her correctly.

"I've been on my own since before I was sixteen years old. Really even before that. But one thing I'd learned at a young age was that no one was ever going to look out for me. I had to do that for myself or nobody would. You understand?"

Chuck nodded. He wasn't sure if there was more to what she was saying or not.

"I've had years of building walls up around me to keep people out. And-" She stopped suddenly to keep from sobbing. She cleared her throat twice before she felt confident enough to continuing. All while continuing to stare straight ahead without even a glance to him.

During this time it was all Chuck could do to keep his hands off of her. But this Sarah did not want that.

"And it seems that while we were together, you broke those walls down. And now if I'm not careful, I have nothing to protect me from just falling so deeply for you that I will disappear. Do you know what I'm saying?"

He didn't have a clue. "Uh, Sarah, I'm not sure."

"I can feel it happening and there's nothing I can do to stop it. If I stay with you I won't even know where you stopped and I begin. Do you know what I mean?"

"That's how I feel all the time, Sarah. I want your happiness more than my own. Is that what you're talking about?"

She shot him a quick glance. "No, I don't think so."

"Then explain it to me, Sarah."

"I can't do this Chuck. You asked me why I'm leaving and I'm telling you. It's the most honest thing I've ever said to anyone in my life. Because you do deserve to know. Please, don't make this harder than it has to be. Don't call me. Let's make it a clean break. I need that from you" She put her hand on his arm briefly before quickly opening the door of the car and was gone in an instant.

He sat alone in his car dazed and sorrowful. Finally, he started it and began to drive around the city. Not being fully aware of when he turned for home, he found himself pulling into his driveway.

When he stepped out of the car, for an instant he thought Sarah was sitting on his front porch steps. His heart sank when he realized it was Wendy.

"Hey," she said trying to sound cheerful.

"Hey – what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I got a call from Sarah…she said that you might need someone to talk to."

"I appreciate you driving out here like this and don't take this the wrong way but there's only one person I need to talk with right now."

"You never know, Chuck. Take for instance this afternoon. I talked with that guy Sarah told us about. By the way his name really is Mike. Anyway, he drove me nuts but for some reason, I hired him. He's on his way to Langley now. But my point was…as crazy as he made me, he said some things that I needed to here. If you would have told me someone like that could have said anything meaningful I would have laughed. But I'm glad I talked with him."

Chuck only shook his head "You know what she said to me?" he said

"No, she didn't say."

Chuck spent the next fifteen minutes telling Wendy everything that was said by the two of them. "It's not supposed to end like this, Wendy. I don't know what to do."

Wendy studied him closely for a second. "If it's not supposed to end this way…why are you still here in Seattle?' She gave him a wistful smile.

Chuck met her gaze and a slow smile announced itself on his face.

* * *

The CIA second floor cafeteria was busy for a Monday. Sarah sat at a small table with an older gentlemen in an expensive suit. They were involved in a comfortable but serious discussion.

"What I want to know is how long it will last? The pain I mean."

"Sarah, you and I have known each other for a very long time now. Frankly, I'm surprised that you allowed yourself to fall in love the first time around." He took a bite of his sandwich. "In your case, with the memory issues…I've no idea."

"I think I'm bothered more knowing I've hurt him than from the pain I feel."

"That's what love is. Caring more about the other person than you do yourself."

"That's what he said. I just wish I could remove these feelings I have like they did my memories."

"I find that thinking a bit scary."

"I just wish we could go back to that time before we met so I didn't have to hurt him."

"We've not discussed why you feel like you have no other option but to hurt him. There are other possibilities, you know."

Sarah looked at him completely confused. "Like?"

"Leaving the CIA, trying to make a go of it in your current situation are two thoughts that come to mind."

"I could never leave the CIA," she said flatly. "I'm surprised you want me to."

"I never said I wanted you to. I'm concerned when you use words like _never_ and _always_.

Sarah looked at him hard and then picked up her sandwich and took a bite.

"Why could you not leave the CIA?" he continued.

"Because."

"You see, you're avoiding answering the question."

"Okay, I'm afraid to leave. Are you happy now?" She spoke in an elevated and frustrated whisper.

"I'm happy you're able to admit that." He was completely ignoring her tone. "Admitting your fears is the first step to overcoming them."

"Really, it's that easy?"

"It's not easy at all. But it is impossible otherwise."

"Well, I said it. I'm afraid to leave the CIA."

"What else frightens you?"

"Do we have to do the complete session here in the cafeteria?"

"You asked me to lunch. Since our relationship is completely professional, I'm assuming you have something to discuss."

Sarah never got to answer that question because someone came through the cafeteria doors and shouted her name.

"Sarah Walker."

Sarah looked passed the Doctor to see who was calling her name. Although she would tell you later that she knew who it was. She knew that voice better than she knew her own. It was etched into an engram on her brain. As a response, she stood so that he could see her. There eyes locked but she could not stand the emotion and looked away.

She looked around the crowded cafeteria and noticed all eyes were trained on her.

She looked back to Chuck. "What are you doing here?" she said from across the room.

"I came to see you."

She had no idea how to respond. "Couldn't you have just called?"

He took a couple of steps towards her. "No, not with what I have to ask you."

Sarah felt her face go cold as the blood rushed from her head to her legs. She needed to change the subject. "How did you get in here?"

Chuck held up a pass. "Kemmet let me in."

A murmur ran through the room as the group realized that Chuck was, at least, well connected.

"Sarah, I need to tell you something."

"Can't it wait until we're alone?"

"No, I'm tired of waiting. I've waited for three years. I've waited for you to figure out how you felt about me. I've waited for our situation to change so it wouldn't so hard. I've even waited for the CIA to change their stupid rules about agent - asset fraternization."

At that, the room took sides. Half the room shouted to Sarah to _stay strong_. _Do what's right_. While the other half shouted _love can overcome_ and _follow your heart_.

Chuck ignored both sides. "I'm tired of waiting, Sarah, because I know that you and I can overcome anything. We've already proven it. Do you really doubt that we can?" Chuck took another couple of steps toward her.

Sarah looked around the room again. Now, there were fewer people encouraging her to stay strong. And those that were seemed less enthusiastic.

She felt like she had a spoonful of peanut butter in her throat as she tried to swallow.

"What you ask isn't easy."

"Sarah, what's easy got to do with it. Can you tell me anything worthwhile that's easy. I'm not interested in easy, Sarah. I want breathtaking. I want complexity, hell I'll even take some anxiety mixed in with downright hard. Do you know why, Sarah?"

Because when all is said and done…and we've overcome it all. We'll think back upon it all and know we did it."

As Chuck spoke, Sarah used all the training and willpower she had been given to corral her emotions. It was a testament to both that the tears coating her eyes did not spill over onto her cheeks. She could do nothing about how red they became.

The room that had had numerous shouts of support from both sides was now, as quiet as an empty church, as the whole cafeteria waited to hear what she would say.

She made another tortured attempt at swallowing away her emotions. She looked around the room again, briefly, self consciously. "Chuck, those are really nice words

but-"

"Aw come on. Give the guy a break," an unknown male voice came from the crowd. This time all but one or two voices joined in support of Chuck.

"My point is," Sarah said over the yells. Those are nice words but what you ask-"

"What I'm asking for is a chance, Sarah. That's all…just a chance. You once asked me to trust you and I did, even though there were times when it was easier not to. Now, I'm asking you to trust me. Trust me, Sarah. Because I promise you that I will protect that trust like you've protected me for the last three years." Chuck took another step towards her so that he could reach out and touch her. "I promise you, all I'm asking for is a chance."

Sarah began to shake her head and Chuck sensed the time wasn't right . "But that's not the question I've come to ask you."

Sarah heard gasps from the crowd as people assumed he intended to propose.

She could not respond at least not with her voice, but her eyes told the story, giving Chuck the hope and courage to go on.

"I've come here to ask you this."

Sarah's eyes although still filled with tears were hopeful as she looked up into his eyes. Even though she was still shaking her head, her eyes were begging to hear what he had come to ask.

He took another half step forward so that now, he was close enough to kiss her. "Sarah Walker, I want you to disappear in me. I want to disappear in you."

At that moment the music changed from the muzak that had been playing over the intercom to The Gabe Dixon Band's, Disappear. It was eerily appropriate. And the people noticed.

Chuck and Sarah didn't seem to notice, they were alone in the room now. Chuck continued to talk to her. "I don't want to know where I end and you begin. Disappear with me Sarah. We'll close out the world and it will just be you and me. You're all that matters to me…Please, Sarah. Disappear with me."

The cafeteria was quiet. So quiet that Sarah was sure everyone could hear her ragged breathing. She looked into his eyes and tried to make her mouth work. In the silence that followed, a lady yelled out at her.

"For crying out loud, lady. If you don't take him home, I will…and I'm married.

The crowd began to laugh but only briefly as everyone waited on Sarah.

Chuck mouthed the word one more time, _please_. It must have been just what she needed to move forward, so that before he had even finished the unspoken word, she crashed into him and sought out his lips with her own. As she kissed him, her heart ache subsided.

At that, the cafeteria erupted in applause as everyone began to talk excitedly. Women held their hand to their chest or over their mouths while wiping at their eyes. The men were smiling and talking in good nature. For this one brief moment, everyone in the room was happy.

It was one of those kisses that you see in the movies. Just the right mixture of passion and tenderness. When she finally pulled away, she stood looking up at him while still holding the back of his shoulders from under his arms.

The doctor who was sitting beside the couple cleared his throat.

"Oh, Chuck, this Dr. Edwards, my psychiatrists."

"It's good to finally meet you young man. I've heard so much about you, I feel like I know you."

Chuck smiled at the older man and shook his hand.

"Excuse me, Doc. I don't mean to be rude, but…" Chuck kissed Sarah again. This time the kiss had more passion than tenderness and room exploded once again.

Sarah felt herself letting go. To that place that Chuck spoke of where they could disappear into each other. Right there in the middle of a crowded cafeteria, Chuck and Sarah were alone. They had disappeared.

X=X

"And you did everything just like I asked?" Wendy spoke into the phone.

"Yeah, it was easy. I tapped into the video line from inside the building. I clipped into the internal intercom for audio and I waited for the keyword you spoke of. When I heard it. I played the song by overriding the muzak system. Easiest job I ever had."

"Nice job, Mike," Wendy said to her first employee. "They say true love always finds a way. But in this case, I don't think fate will mind our butting in."

Wendy hung up the phone, smiling. She began to check her email. She had a busy day planned.

But this day would be a good one.

The End.

A/N: Initially the Movie The Long Kiss Goodbye was the muse for this story. But I drew inspiration from others as well. If you review you might tell me if you thought of others. Oh, btw. If you don't know about the Gabe Dixon Band, you got to check that out.


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone that read this story. I appreciate it. I will respond to all of the reviews for the last chapter and this one as well. If you have a question or just a comment, I will do my best to answer it.

**Witness protection**

Epilogue

The black van sat across from the warehouse as it had for the last three days. The workers on the dock were use to it and paid no interest in it as they were busy loading illicit cargo in the middle of the night.

The men had no idea that the two occupants of the van had been watching their every move and the tapes they were making would be evidence in the smuggling trials they would undoubtedly face after the authorities were called in to arrest the entire group.

The occupants of the van were seasoned veterans and had worked together as partners almost uninterrupted for the last five years. Their skill and chemistry had served them well over the years and this was just another in a long line of assignments that was certainly headed toward a successful conclusion.

"Get a shot of those men over there. We need to catalogue every face so that this will hold up in court," the blonde woman said in a low voice.

"Got it, I've counted twenty three of them and I've got all but two documented. Keep an eye on those guys to the right by that end loader," the bigger man said. "If you see them move to the right over there, let me know."

"Roger that." The blonde woman cleared her throat. "Have you got any of the Christmas shopping started?"

Without even missing a beat, the man said while still looking through the video camera, "Not yet, when would I have had time? We spend every waking hour together and I'm pretty sure that's you lying beside me at night."

She ignored his quip. "You know we have to be at Ellie's in three weeks. That doesn't leave us with much time to get gifts for everyone."

"We'll get it done, don't worry. Hey, when have I ever let you down?" he asked.

She smiled at the back of his head as she continued to make notes of the general scene outside the van. "Well, there was that time by the fountain. I'm sure you will disagree but I think breaking up with a girl is considered letting her down."

"Humph, I should have known you would bring that up. You know ever since you regained your memory, it seems like that one incidence comes up in conversation more than necessary."

"More than necessary! I'll argue that point. Besides, you're the one that said _when_ _have you ever let me down_. I pointed out a time. If you hadn't done that, I would wager we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief. Because I'm pretty sure I was ready to commit."

The man didn't argue, he had wondered that same thing many times over the last two years. He decided that he was going down a losing path. He changed the subject.

"Hey, you've not said what you wanted for Christmas?"

"No, and I'm not going to. Pick something out that you know I'll like. I want it to be from you."

"Oh, Sarah, you know I hate it when you do that. Why can't you just tell me what you want and I'll go get it. Why does it always have to be _something special just from me?"_

"Because that's a part of protecting me…remember, you said you would always do it?

He shut up. "I remember. Okay, I'll start looking." Chuck knew there was no arguing with her when she used _the_ _protect me _argument. He didn't even try. Besides, he knew she never used that as an advantage. She always told the truth about that. And because of that, he never argued after she said it. He recalled clearly making her that promise. He went to bed every night thanking God that she let him change her mind. He had come to realize since just how hard it was for her to do.

"So, do you know what we're getting Ellie and Devon?" she asked after a brief pause in the conversation as they became distracted by their tasks.

"Yeah, Devon gave me a list last month." He didn't take his eye away from the camera but she knew by the tone of his voice he was giving her a little dig about her lack of gift lists.

"And?"

"Devon wants a parachute. I guess he's going to take up skydiving."

"What! Ellie know about that?"

"I don't know. When I asked him the same question, he said that he would take care of Ellie."

"How in the world did he come up with a crazy idea like that?" Sarah said.

"Uh, that may have been my fault. Remember when we parachuted into Brazil six month ago?"

"Yes," she said it as if she knew she wasn't going to like what he said next.

"I sort of mentioned that you and I did some parachuting recently and that it was a riot."

"Ellie's going to kill you, and this is one time when I will not protect you. You've brought all of this on yourself."

The van was silent as the two concentrated on their respective work. Nothing was said by either one that they needed silence, it was just known. When it came to work, they could communicate without words. About ten minutes passed in this quiet state.

"Speaking of getting killed, have you fixed the garbage disposal yet?"

Chuck laughed at her sense of humor. "Sarah, when have I had time to fix the garbage disposal? We've been doing this night surveillance for two weeks and we have briefings at 3:00p.m. I really haven't had the time. Besides, home is in Alabama."

"I'll give you that, but your sister will be coming to our place in March. I want to make sure you have it fixed by then."

"I promise."

That always shut her up. She knew when Chuck promised that he would follow through. He always did. It was part of the pact he made with himself when she finally said yes in the cafeteria almost two years ago. If he promised her, then one way or another, he was going to make sure that he did it.

And he always had.

"I had forgotten that Ellie was coming down in March. You know, Gulf Shores is still reeling from her last visit," Chuck said.

"We can try to slow her down. When she's with us she needs to take things easier. The pace of life in LA and now San Diego can be maddening. That's why I fell in love with our little home. It's peaceful." Sarah continued to concentrate on her notes.

"The one thing about the memory wipe episode is that Ellie found out about us. In a way, I regret that and in a way I'm glad she knows," Chuck said.

"She's always been proud of you Chuck, but now…she just looks at you differently."

"That's nice, it feels good to know she's proud of me but sometimes I see fear in her eyes when she looks at me. It hurts to know she's worrying about me all the time."

Sarah decided to change the subject. "Have you talked to Wendy this week? We have to have her and Mike down before the Wedding in December."

"I talked with her briefly, day before yesterday. They are going to try to make it down for a visit in July. That way Mike can take me up on scuba lessens. "

"You know there's no way he's going scuba diving. He's the most claustrophobic person I know."

"I know, but he wants me to show him how."

"There! The men are in view, see them?"

"Got it. That's all of them. How about you?"

"I'm good. Call it in."

Chuck sat the video camera down and used his phone. "Casey, we're done here. Call in the cavalry," he said.

Two minutes later, the scene exploded with police, military and cars of unknown origins. The effort was coordinated and executed flawlessly.

Chuck videotaped it all and only stopped when a big man wearing black military garb turned to them and gave a thumbs up. At that, Sarah opened the back of the van and climbed out along with Chuck right behind her.

They walked up to the man.

"Good work, we've got em all. This is one shipment of arms that will not find its way into terrorist's hands." John Casey smiled at the two.

Chuck put his arm around Sarah and turning her, he began to walk away. "This is your job, I'm taking my fiancé back home for some much needed and I might add, deserved rest and relaxation."

Casey laughed at the back sides of the two agents. "On your way to Alabama tonight?"

"That's right. And we expect to see you this weekend…remember," Sarah said looking over her shoulder.

"That's this weekend?" Casey said sounding anxious.

Sarah stopped and turned around. "That's right, John. This weekend…you better be there. I've told Karen all about you and she's anxious to meet you." Sarah's voice left no room for argument on the subject.

Casey looked from Sarah to Chuck for some support.

"Don't look at me. You hear that voice. I've learned not to argue when I hear that." Chuck looked to Sarah and then back to Casey. "You better be there…besides, I've got a feeling you're going to thank us for this down the road."

All Casey could do was utter one of his now famous grunts.

"See you this weekend, Casey," Chuck said and turned taking the blonde with him. He turned to her as they walked. "Do you think he'll try to skip out?"

Sarah didn't hesitate. "No, but he'll be a wreck until then," she said laughing.

Chuck looked at her closely and smiled. "You're sure about Casey and Karen?"

She looked up at him and returned his expression. "Yep." She walked with her head down before looking into his eyes. "She's perfect for him. Retired CIA, completely vetted and she's independent enough that his traveling won't bother her at all. She told me once that she likes the strong silent type…who does that remind you of?"

Chuck laughed. "You know he's watching us right now."

"I know," she said and smiled.

Casey watched as the two walked out of his sight, arm in arm. He briefly thought about how perfect they were for one another and how close they were not to ever being. As he watched, his serious expression turned to a smile. He could think of worse fates than finding what they had. _Hell, I'll give it a shot_, he thought and turned around to make sure that everything went smoothly with the arrest. He took one last look over his shoulder at the now out of sight couple.

"Let's get em loaded up. I've got things to do, Gentlemen."

**The End.**


End file.
